


tangled 2.0

by worstgirl



Category: Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken, Tangled (2010)
Genre: F/M, Gen, M/M, Swordfighting, Tangled AU, WE’RE BACK IN BUSINESS BABEY, and know the endgame ship, but edited for y’all that got butt hurt and got the original deleted, darcy’s a chameleon, davey’s hard to explain, don’t spoil it in the comments thx, if you read this fic originally, jack is flynn, kath is rapunzel, rated for swearing n mild violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-09
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:13:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 29,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22633306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/worstgirl/pseuds/worstgirl
Summary: Katherine wants to see the lights. Jack wants the crown. Davey just really, really wants to go home.~~~or, the newsies tangled au
Relationships: David Jacobs & Jack Kelly, David Jacobs/Jack Kelly, Jack Kelly & Katherine Plumber Pulitzer, Jack Kelly/Katherine Plumber, Katherine Plumber Pulitzer & Darcy Reid
Comments: 129
Kudos: 125





	1. the trouble with thieves

**Author's Note:**

> this is honestly just one big ‘fuck you’ to the people who got this deleted. I’m editing the dialogue for you guys. i hope you’re happy. if not, just accept that i’m going to keep posting this, because the rules on “short quotes” are incredibly vague. 
> 
> i mean no disrespect to the original creators of this movie, and i’m changing the dialogue as much as i can.

Katherine Plumber was so, so bored. Staring at your bedroom ceiling and waiting for your father to come home from wherever he disappeared to for days on end only worked to keep the pure boredom away for so long. Her chores were done, her laundry washed, and she’d read every story she had left in her tower. And she’d brushed her hair, which wound out the door and down the stairs, gold and straight, and probably getting dusty on something. 

If only Father hadn’t taken away her pen and ink... but no chance. She didn’t dare go through his things, not after the last time. He’d gotten so upset with her, he’d shut her up in her room for a week. Sure, it had ended up being shorter, but still. 

Then she sat up quickly. Tomorrow would be her birthday. Which meant that the floating lights would appear, like they did every year. Maybe, just maybe, he’d take her this year. She hadn’t left her tower in years— actually, not for as long as she remembered. But Katherine was tired of watching everything from her window, she wanted to be outside and not have to worry about any of that. 

There was a small push on her foot, and she moved her skirts to see the tiny chameleon she’d adopted as a pet, Darcy, poking at her foot. She grinned, scooping him up. “What, want a rematch of Hide and Seek? What was it, twenty-two for me and how many for you?” He didn’t look amused, but she laughed. “Okay, no Hide and Seek. Oh! I could make you a dress-“ Another look from the chameleon. “A suitcoat, maybe? Like what Father wears.” 

Another unamused look from the chameleon, but Katherine didn’t care as she raced off to get her sewing supplies.

~~~

While Katherine was trying to deal with boredom, Jack Kelly was having a bit of trouble. As a thief, he should be used to trouble (he usually was the trouble), but this was a different kind of trouble. He’d taken a job from a man named Joe Pulitzer, which had two issues. One, he had to work with his least favourite people— the Delancey brothers. Big, tough, and ruthless, they were good muscle, but awful partners. Two, he had to break into the highest security building he knew of— the royal palace. They’d had a tip off from an anonymous source that there was a hatch in the roof, which ended up with Jack tied to a rope being lowered down by the Delanceys. He only hoped the prize they were about to win was enough incentive to not drop him to his death, or his execution. 

There wasn’t exactly a very reasonable, legal explanation to why he was rappelling down into the palace, right above the pedestal where the lost princess’s crown lay.

Jack could only hold his breath as he lowered towards the glimmering crystal crown and the dozen or so guards he saw in a ring around it. He was within feet in seconds, barely able to touch it. He didn’t drop it, thank god. He may be broad, but he was young, and he hadn’t lost the nimbleness he’d gained being an orphan kid on the streets. It was easy enough to take the crown and slip it into the satchel he held. 

Then one of the guards sneezed, and he couldn’t help but make a witty joke. “Hay fever?” The guard looked over his shoulder, and Jack realized he was kind of cute, in a ‘I look a little scruffy but it’s somehow working for me’ kind of way, with bright eyes and dark hair. For some reason, he didn’t seem to register that Jack was literally stealing a crown. 

“Yeah.” He said, turning back to his position, and Jack couldn’t help but grin as he was pulled up and watched the utter chaos left in his wake. Guards scrambled to find them, and all Jack could do was wave the satchel at the Delancey’s before they took off, sliding down the castle walls and racing through alleyways and backstreets as guards filtered out of the castle. When they were on their way across the bridge leading to the main kingdom, Jack couldn’t help but laugh. 

“Look at all we’ve done, fellas, and it ain’t even eight in the morning! This is a really big day!”

~~~

“This is a really big day, Darcy! I’m going to do it. I’m finally going to do it! I’m gonna ask him.” A call from downstairs made Katherine perk up— her father was home. “It’s time!” 

She raced downstairs, bare feet on the floor, tossing her hair into the hook above the window as she prepared to toss the end out, as was their routine. “Katherine!” 

“Coming, father!” She tossed down the end of her hair, watching it fall down and glimmer in the sunlight. She resisted the urge to squeal in glee— she was so close to seeing that for an entire day! Or at least seeing the lights… then she snapped out of her thoughts as she felt her father tugging on her hair. 

This was always Katherine’s least favourite part— having to pull her father up. But she managed it somewhat easily, and soon her father was sitting on the windowsill. “Welcome home, father!” She said, a smile on her face.

Her father looked exhausted, fixing his waistcoat and running a hand through his dark blonde hair. “Katherine darling, how you do that every day without fail astounds me.” He said, smiling back. Katherine didn’t particularly like her father’s smile, it never seemed genuine. 

“Oh, it’s nothing.” She said with a laugh, looking down at her feet.

“Then I have no idea why it takes so long.” Katherine winced, her smile dropping for a moment and her face flushing with embarrassment. “I’m just teasing, dear.” He said, sweeping past her. She laughed nervously, trying to shake it off. Was she getting worse? Maybe she was going slower than usual. 

“Father— so, as you know, tomorrow is a very big day—“ She started. She’d rehearsed this in her mirror, trying to find the words she wanted to say. Usually, writing them out helped, but she hadn’t dared to find a pencil or a pen and ink. 

But her father interrupted her. “Katherine, dear, come look in the mirror.” He situated her in front of him, grasping her shoulders. “In this reflection, I see a strong, confident, talented young writer with great potential.” Katherine felt a swarm of butterflies in her stomach, but they were crushed in moments. “Oh, yes, you’re here too.” 

Her shoulders slumped against her will. “Stop taking everything so seriously, darling.” Her father said, flattening down stray hairs from his beard, as if inspecting for grey ones.

Katherine started to speak again. “Alright, Father, but as I was saying—“

“Dear, I’m feeling a little rundown. Perhaps we can talk later.” He turned to her, pausing for a moment. “Why don’t you sing for me?”

Another one of their routines, something they’d done since even before Katherine could walk. If Katherine could get it done fast, then she could finally have his attention. “Of course!” She raced around the tower, mentally checking off the list in her head. Her father’s chair, her small stool, hairbrush. She sat him down quickly, shoving the brush in his hands and shutting her eyes as she sang through the song rapidly. “Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine, make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine! Heal what has been hurt, change the fate’s design, save what has been lost, bring back what once was mine!” The glow from her hair exploded like a tiny supernova, erasing the grey from her father’s hair and the lines from his face.

Her father threw down his brush, glaring at her. “Katherine!”

Katherine quailed for a moment, before remembering the words from the paper she’d found on the table.  _ A good reporter never succumbs to anger or extreme emotion from his reportees. The story is more important.  _ “Sorry, Father, but I wanted to tell you. Earlier I was saying that tomorrow is a very big day for me. It’s my birthday!” She tried to shut down the excitement in her tone, with minimal success. She wanted to seem adult and not childish— she would be eighteen after all.

But her father only shook his head. “No, Katherine, I distinctly remember. Your birthday was last year.” He said, patting her head condescendingly. 

Katherine laughed a bit. “That’s the thing about birthdays, they’re kind of an annual thing.” 

Her father raised an eyebrow at her, which she took as a cue to continue. She took a breath. “Father, I’m turning eighteen, and I really wanted to ask this for— well, really for years now, I’ve wanted this for as long as I’ve even been able to walk, but I’ve been afraid to tell you, because you usually think things like this are a little bit weird or childish, so I—“ 

“Katherine, what have I told you about your rambling? It’s very annoying.” He cut her off with a look, and she slumped, staring at her feet. As she waited, her father got up, heading for their tiny kitchen, starting to organize the cupboard they had. 

Katherine heard a tiny noise, and looked over to see Darcy, hidden behind a chair, gesturing for her to ask. Another deep breath, and, unlike what she’d practiced, all calm and cool and collected and not at all impulsive, she blurted out, “I want to see the floating lights!”

No way would her father take her seriously now. As it was, he froze, in the midst of pulling out an apple and setting it in a basket, an odd look on his face. “Whatever do you mean?” He said coldly, turning to her. “What is this about lights? Darling, you have to be more specific.”

She almost gave up, but she couldn’t back down now. “The floating lights. I was hoping you could take me to see them this year, I am old enough, and if you come with me—“

Her father cut her off. “Do you mean the stars, Katherine? I did believe you were more intelligent than that.” 

“No, they aren’t stars, Father!” She went over to her desk, pulling out sheets of paper. “I’ve done my research on stars, plenty of it, and I’ve written so much on them. But these aren’t stars. They move so much faster, and they only appear on my birthday. And I can’t help but feel like—“ She was aware this sounded stupid and childish, but still. “—like they’re somehow meant for me.” 

Her father was walking away, she was losing him. She followed after him. “I want to see them, Father, and not just from my window. I want to see them in person. I want to know what they are.” 

That made her father turn around, and she suddenly realized how much taller he still was. “You wish to go outside? Please, Katherine. I offer you a life of security here. If you leave, you are liable to be hurt.” 

She opened her mouth to protest, but he shushed her. “Don’t misinterpret me. You’re a very strong, talented young woman, but you’re still a child. You know the consequences of leaving.”

“I know, but—“ Again she was shushed. 

“I always knew you’d wish to leave me. Soon- but not yet!”

“But-“ 

A glare made her protest die in her throat. She hated it when he was upset with her. “Trust me, dear, I know what is best for you. It’s too dangerous for you out there.”

“But I can handle it—“ 

“Something will go wrong, Katherine!” Her father started counting off on his fingers. “Ruffians, thugs, poison ivy, quicksand, cannibals, snakes, the plague, pirates, thieves, large bugs, men with fangs— I could go on for hours about the dangers. But while you’re here, I’m here to protect you.”

Katherine kept quiet, but she wanted to ask him about the hours he was gone— why didn’t he get hurt? What if someone came to her tower and climbed it while he was gone? 

“You’re sloppy, immature, and childish, those people out there will hurt you. All people will want with you is your hair, they won’t even think to care about your intellect as long as you have something so precious.” He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I have one request of you. I keep you safe, and you do one thing for me.”

Katherine felt a spark of hope. Maybe she could leave with her father… “Don’t ever ask to leave this tower again.” His voice sounded so cold and menacing, she caved, nodding. His face softened. “Good girl. You won’t regret your decision. I do know best, after all.” 

He held out his arms, an odd occurence, and she let him wrap her in a hug. “I love you very much dear.”

“I love you more.” She said, almost like a parrot. It had been their little joke as long as she’d known, and she waited for his response.

“I love you most.” 

He ran his hands through her hair, before pulling away. “I’m very sorry, but I have to leave again. I hope you don’t mind.”

“But—“ He’d just gotten home, and now he’d have to leave again? Katherine sighed. “I’ll let you down in a moment.”

Within twenty minutes, her father was waving to her before disappearing through the curtain of ivy disguising their home from view, leaving Katherine’s hair floating in the wind as she tried to think of a better plan. She would see the floating lights if her life depended on it. 


	2. i wanna see my little boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> davey’s here, jack’s a flirt, and they’re both fucked

In the hour it took for them to make it to the woods, Jack was really starting to hate the Delanceys more than usual. He skidded to a stop, the stitch in his side aching as he held onto a tree for support. The Delanceys stopped too, looking back at him. Oscar and Morris were definitely not his favourite people, but hey! They got matching Wanted posters! 

He snatched his off the tree, staring at it for a moment. “Ah, great! They got’s a new poster artist! One that ain’t never seen a picture of me, just look at my nose.” It was a rather wonderful nose, all bent and crooked. But seriously, it was kind of awful, and not at all like his. He was reasonably sure he had a straighter nose than that. 

“Who gives a shit about what your nose looks like, Kelly. We’ve got bigger things ta worry about!” Oscar muttered, even though him and his brother had their hands on their knees, panting from their sprint. 

“Easy for you ta say, your poster looks great!” It was a pretty good representation. They even got the dead look behind their eyes. 

But before they could say too much more, there was a loud whinnying from above, and Jack looked up to see palace guards and their steeds above the ravine. He cursed, stuffing his wanted poster in his satchel before taking off, but not before noticing that the leader was that cute guard from before. Nice, being imprisoned by an attractive boy was exactly the way he wanted to go. 

They took off again, and Jack was about to curse again at the ache in his legs when he had to come abruptly to a stop anyways. They’d worked themselves right into a corner. Above them was fifteen feet of sheer cliff, and behind them— well, Jack could still hear the horses. “Alright, lift me up, and I’s gonna help you up after, got that?” He said, trying not to panic. He was Jack Kelly, famous thief, he didn’t get anxious. 

“Give us the satchel first, wise guy.” Morris said, holding out his hand. They didn’t have time for this, they had to escape!

“After all we’s been through, and you fellas still don’t trust me?” Jack said, mocking offense, hand to his chest. The Delanceys looked at each other, then at him, and he huffed. “Ouch.” He dropped the satchel with the crown into their hands. 

Soon enough, they were on each other’s shoulders as Jack climbed up them, using their shoulders and heads as footholds and handholds. He didn’t even try not to hurt them, they were selfish pricks. Well, so was he, but he didn’t murder anyone in cold blood. 

Jack pulled himself up onto the cliff, looking out at the woods around him. “Now help us up, pretty boy.” Oscar said, holding out his hand. Jack only gave him a roguish grin, looking down at him. 

“Sorry.” He held up the satchel with two fingers. “My hands are full.” Then he raced off again. Goddamnit, more running. But the adrenaline from the shouts of the Delanceys behind him was enough to give him a burst of energy. 

As it was, he had bigger things to worry about. Outrunning men on horseback with crossbows, for example. He heard someone call out about the satchel, but he was too worried about the zinging of arrows he heard flying through the air behind him to care. He acted fast, skidding under a fallen tree, the crossbow bolts thudding into the wood over his head. He looked behind him for a second, to see the cute guard from earlier, the one with the sneeze. Hooray. Maybe he could flirt his way out of execution. 

Off he went again, ducking around a tree with branches in a Y— other than the center, there were no openings for horses. They’d either have to time their jump just right, or abandon their horses. He hoped it was the latter. 

It was, for the most part, except for— fun. The pretty boy guard. Jack leapt into the air, grasping a vine hanging down from a higher branch, swinging himself around. “Sorry, cutie!” He called out, moments before he shoved the boy off his horse, landing in the saddle expertly. 

Only for the horse to buck him off a second later and run off, completely abandoning him and his master. Jack felt the burst of pain course through his head, his vision blurring for a second. 

Well, that plan had gotten fucked. The boy was already getting up, and Jack could see the blood on his forehead. Well, shit. He hadn’t meant to hurt him that much. 

“Give me your satchel, Kelly.” The boy said, drawing his sword at him. He was a lot cuter up close, as it turned out. And somehow still cute when he looked like he could run Jack through at any moment. 

“Hey now, don’tcha think it’s awful bad manners for you to kill me without me even knowing your name?” He said, stepping back. 

“You’re a criminal, you don’t need to know my name.” The boy said, stepping closer. He couldn’t have been more than eighteen, maybe even younger. How young were they drafting boys now? Or had he volunteered? Palace guards made good money. 

“C’mon, it’s only polite.” Jack kept a hold on his satchel. At least this would stall for lomg enough he could catch his breath. “Can I guess?”

“Just hand over the satchel.” 

“Stubborn, I like that in a man.” Jack said with a grin, which only got wider when he saw the pinkness in the boy’s cheeks. He stepped back as the boy stepped forwards, grabbing a big stick from the ground to defend himself, if needed.

The boy glared at him. “Flirting gets you nowhere, Kelly.” 

“Ya sure? ‘Cause you’s seeming awful flustered right now.” Jack held up the stick, just in time for the boy’s thrust. Jack disarmed him quickly, his sword flying off towards the bushes. He held out his stick threateningly, and the boy held up his hands. “Ya know, that helmet’s stupid as fuck. You’d look a lot cuter without it.” 

The noise the boy made was enough to make Jack grin. But then the boy attacked, twisting his branch from his hand and reaching for the satchel. That was unexpected. Jack twisted his upper body, trying to keep the other boy’s hands away. “You’re getting a lot less cute!”

“That’s- the- point-“ He hissed out, and just as Jack was about to snap back with a witty retort, the satchel flew out of his hands and out towards the ravine behind them, only to land on the tiniest branch of a protruding tree. 

Fuck.

Jack and the boy immediately stopped their scuffle, before racing after the satchel, tripping and pushing at each other to get to it first. Jack was tempted to kiss the guy just to distract him, but that was such a dick move. As it was, the boy almost pushed him off the tree. Jack barely managed to grab onto the tree’s trunk, trying his best not to think about his tired arms and the very, very long drop. “What the fuck, not cool!” He protested, before peeking around the trunk to see the boy trying to pick his way over his hands. 

“Y’know, my dad’d tell me, ‘David, fight fair,’ but you’re making it very hard to do that right now!” The boy hissed, and Jack grinned devilishly. 

“Nice t’ meetcha, Davey. I’d shake your hand, but I’m a little preoccupied as of right now.” He tried his best to shuffle down the branch, noticing the satchel slipping. He couldn’t lose it, not now! 

“Has anyone ever told you you’re absolutely insufferable?” 

Jack had absolutely no clue what that word meant. “Nah, they usually use the word annoying.” For some reason, that made Davey snort. He shuffled further along the tree. Just a little further, and he’d make it. He managed to hook his fingers in the strap of the bag mere moments before it fell, and he felt a bit of confidence as he shifted himself, showing off the bag to Davey. 

Then he heard the loudest cracking noise known to man, and he froze. “Fuck.” Next to him, Davey froze too, but it was too late and the tree broke off, sending both of them screaming as they plummeted to the forest floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i read through this fic bc i need to edit stuff and goddamn i’m funny like wow 
> 
> anyways please leave comments loves i’m tired and can’t write out full notes
> 
> stay safe, and stay wonderful, loves!!
> 
> ~ percy


	3. flirting and floating lights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> uhh tw for emotional manipulation?? kath does not deserve this treatment

Jack groaned as he woke up, but he’d managed to find his way behind a rock, out of sight of Davey. Because, while he was kind of cute, Jack didn’t have any interest in getting arrested and sent to jail today. 

As he heard the boy’s footsteps, he stepped back, intending on leaning on the rock face behind him that was covered with ivy, only to almost fall through. He caught himself, pulling it aside. Then he heard Davey mutter something, and he disappeared into the small alcove.

Jack backed up, trying to keep his breathing quiet. He expected to step into the back of a cave, but rather than damp rock, he found himself in the middle of an open clearing. He turned around, only to see a tall spire of a tower, reaching towards the sky like it was trying to grow taller. 

Holy fucking shit.

Was this thing even real? It looked absolutely deserted. He headed for the bottom of the tower, searching for some sort of opening. Nothing. No loose bricks, no door, no stairs, not even a ladder. Just smooth cobblestone covered with ivy all the way up. Which probably meant that there was no one up there. And Jack was good at climbing.

So he pulled some crossbow bolts from his bag and started climbing, using them as hand holds. Maybe Davey hadn’t seen him and he’d gotten away.

“What the actual heck are you doing?” Ah, speak of the devil and he shall appear, apparently. 

“Heck? Use a real curse, pretty boy.” Jack stabbed the crossbow bolt into the mortar between two cobblestones. “Say fuck like the rest o’ us.” 

“Right, because you’re one to tell me how to speak correctly.” Davey muttered, and Jack grinned a bit. He knew he was out of reach, just enough to be irksome.

“You’s just gonna watch me climb, or ya gonna come after me?” Maybe he was tempting fate, maybe he was just being a cocky asshole. “Or you can come before me, whatever turns ya on more.”

There was a small noise of distaste from the ground. “That’s disgusting.” 

“Lemme put it this way.” He moved up another half foot. “I’m climbing this tower whether you like it or not. You can either find a way to follow me up, or return to your precious castle alone and without the crown, possibly losing your job, your status, and everything you stand for. The choice is yours.” 

There was silence for a moment, before he heard Davey rooting in a small pack at his side, finding a small length of rope and some crossbow bolts, starting to follow Jack up. He was a significantly worse climber, but what he lacked in skill, he made up for in pure stubbornness. 

“You feelin’ tired, pretty boy?” Jack called out after a bit, not daring to look down. He was maybe ten feet from the window, and he wasn’t going to give up now. He hadn’t heard Davey fall, and he still heard his labored breathing behind him, which was oddly comforting. 

“Fuck you, Kelly.” The boy’s voice muttered, barely loud enough to be heard. 

“Usin’ big boy curses now! I’m touched.” 

“I will actually dismember you as soon as I get the opportunity.”

“I said big boy curses, not big boy words.” Jack had no more time for banter as he hauled himself in the window, looking down at the boy below him. He had to say, he looked kind of adorable with his hair all sticking up and his eyebrow scrunched in concentration. He’d lost that stupid helmet, thank the Lord. 

“Do you have anything you can use as a rope up there or something?” Jack looked around, before he saw something on the ground— it looked a bit like rope, right? He grabbed it, hanging it out the window, but Davey gave him a terrified look. “Is this- hair?” Before Jack could answer, he heard a noise. He dropped the hair, or the rope, whichever, stepping further into the tower. 

Davey climbed up the windowsill just in time to hear Jack go down, and looked up to see a whirl of purple and yellow and black, and then, for the second time that day, he was out cold.

Immediately after, Katherine, wielding a frying pan, yelped in fear— glad no one could hear her— and dashed away. She was prepared for them to wake up— wait, had she killed them? Maybe they were dead. Either way, she brandished her frying pan at them. 

Neither boy moved.

She stepped closer, poking the bigger one— well, the broader one, in the blue shirt— with her pan. 

He didn’t move, other than his head flopping to the side.

His hat mostly covered his face, but she was more worried about his teeth. She pulled back his lips with the handle of her frying pan— no fangs. She relaxed a little bit, enough to get the confidence (along with prompting from Darcy) to push his hat off his face.

Now, Katherine hadn’t seen many men in the time she’d been alive. When she was a baby, surely, she had seen a lot of men, but no one else knew that. And she’d seen her father. But somehow she knew that this boy’s face was very, very attractive. Long nose, sharp jawline, blue eyes— oh fuck, his eyes were open. Without even thinking, she smacked him with her pan again.

Then she realized there was another random man on the floor of her tower, knocked out, that her father would definitely see if he came home. She glanced at the clock— alright, nine thirty in the morning. She definitely had time. She wrapped him up in her hair, the only thing she was strong enough to carry a grown man with, dragging the bigger one over to the large wardrobe in the corner. She’d essentially papered it with things she’d written, after she’d lost room on the walls of her bedroom. Stories, articles, fake interviews with her favourite book characters. 

And she shoved the boy in the closet, praying he’d stay.

He did not, in fact, stay. Any configuration she tried seemed to fail, either getting her hair stuck, or his limbs stuck, or basically just not even remotely working, until she finally managed to force him in. Seconds later, he toppled out on top of her. 

And she hadn’t even started on the second boy yet. 

After checking him for fangs too— none, but you could never be too sure— she dragged him over. She had to push old dresses out of the way to even think about fitting them in together. 

She managed to get the one in the uniform standing somewhat upright using the end of her mop, holding him there. 

“Alright, Katherine, eighth time’s the charm, right?” She pushed the other boy back in next to the other, and shut the door quickly, only to find his fingers sticking out. She winced, pushing them in one by one, before shoving the chair under the door. She backed away, in case the boys would burst out, brandishing her pan.

“Alright, no problem.” She said, letting out a sigh. “I’ve got a person in my closet.” She was trying to stay calm, but she couldn’t help the grin that broke out on her face. See, Father, she could protect herself, no problem. “I’ve got  _ two people  _ in my  _ closet _ !” She ended up bursting out laughing, maybe from adrenaline, maybe from nervousness. A new plan was already forming in her head. 

And that plan was solidly derailed by the thing she saw slipping out of the one boy’s satchel. It wasn’t like anything she’d ever seen— a circle of gold, topped with shining crystals and gems. It was beautiful. She pulled it out, looking at it, then at the closet. Why was such a scruffy boy carrying around something so precious? And what was it?

Katherine looked through the gems to see Darcy, fragmented into a dozen little chameleons. He shook his head. She frowned, glancing back at her mirror. Maybe it was something you wore? A large bracelet, possibly. She stuck her hand through it, looking to Darcy for approval. No luck. 

She inspected it closer, looking for some clues. It looked about the right size to be put on her head… She placed it gingerly on her head, finding it a perfect fit. She looked… oddly regal, she thought, almost like—

Her train of thought was interrupted by her father calling her name, and she squeaked in surprise, racing around to pull the odd thing off her head, shoving both it and the boy’s satchel into a pot she’d made years ago, which was thankfully pretty large. “Coming, Father!” She called.

“I have a big surprise for you!” He said as she pulled open the shutters, looping her hair in the hook and tossing the end down. 

“Uh, I have one for you as well!” She glanced back at the closet, her heart pounding. What if this all went wrong, what if she was punished? Her father would probably ground her for a week if he was in a bad mood.

“I guarantee that my surprise is bigger!” He hooked his foot in the hair as Katherine started to pull him up.

Katherine laughed nervously. “I seriously doubt it!” She mumbled, but before she could say much more, her father was over the windowsill. 

“I bought you parsnips, we can make that soup you like. My treat. Surprise!” Katherine blinked. That was certainly nice, but she’d figured out her father ages ago. He argued with her, then brought her a gift to make her apologize. 

“Thank you, Father, but—“

“Oh, Katherine darling, you know I hate leaving you alone after a fight, especially when I’ve done absolutely nothing wrong!” Her father said, hanging his coat on the hooks near the window. 

“Yes, and I’ve been thinking a lot about what you said, and I was thinking—“ She started, before she was interrupted yet again.

“Katherine, I really do hope you’re not still talking about the stars. We’ve been over this.” He said, in that I-don’t-want-to-talk-about-this tone, but Katherine was desperate.

“Floating lights, and yes, I’m leading up to that—“

“I really thought you’d learned, dear, we dropped the issue, remember?” He said, almost harshly.

“Yes, Father, but you say I’m not strong enough to handle myself out there—“ She could tell she was losing, but she had to try.

“Oh, I know you’re not strong enough.” He said with a sharp laugh, turning around to look at her. 

“But if you just listened to me for one seco—“

“We’re done talking about this.”

“Trust me, Father—“

“Katherine—“

“I know what I’m doing—“

_ “Katherine—“ _

“Please, Father, I—“

“ _ Enough about the lights, Katherine!”  _ He snapped, and Katherine flinched.  _ “You are not leaving this tower! Ever!”  _

Katherine’s fingers jerked away from the chair, and she had to swallow down tears. When was the last time she’d cried? She remembered doing it when she was seven, falling down the stairs, and he’d patched up her bloody knee and told her that big girls didn’t cry.

Her father straightened up, fixing his tie, before falling into a chair. “Great, now I’m the bad guy. I just want to keep you safe, dear.”

Katherine rubbed at her arm, staring at her feet. “I just— I just wanted to say…” New plan, fast. She was good at plans, she always had been. It was like her brain was formatted for problem-solving. Then she had it. Get her father out of the tower, and then she could do whatever she wanted. He’d never have to know she even left. She could go out, see the lights, come back, and he would be none the wiser. 

She stepped in front of the closet, almost imperceptibly hiding it. “I know what I want for my birthday?” 

“And what would that be?” 

She bit her lip. “Um… new ink? The kind you brought me last time, from that village overseas? It was really nice and didn’t smudge...” She knew it would be a long trip, and it was confirmed with her father’s look. 

“That would take me almost three days time, Katherine, do you have any idea how long of a—“ But his anger faded when he saw how guilty she looked. She’d mastered this look from experience— head down, hair in front of her face, trying to look as small and demure as possible.

“I just— thought it was a better idea than…” She glanced at the window for a moment. “...the stars.” Let him believe he’d won, and maybe he’d cave.

Her father groaned, dragging a hand down his face. “Are you sure you’ll be alright on your own, darling? You know how you get alone.”

That made Katherine wince. She wasn’t that bad, was she? It was a little lonely, but… she could handle it. “I know I’m safe, as long as I’m here.” She said with a small smile, more to herself than anything. She allowed herself a moment to congratulate herself before packing a small basket of food for her father, handing it to him as he put on his coat. 

“I’ll be back in three days, Katherine. I love you very much.” He said, gently putting a hand on her shoulder. That was the closest she got to a hug, usually. 

Katherine smiled the slightest bit. “I love you more.”

Her father smiled back. “I love you most.” 

Katherine kept up the facade of being a good, nice daughter, at least until her father disappeared from their little clearing. Then she raced inside, heading straight for the cupboard. She pulled the chair away quickly, almost hiding behind it. One deep breath, two, and she threw a lock of hair to wrap around the handle of the closet, tugging the doors open. 

The boys fell out in a very unattractive heap, and Katherine sprung her plan into action. She only hoped they wouldn’t wake up. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i had this whole plan for posting a fic on valentine’s day but then i didn’t end up doing it so,,, oops.


	4. there’s too many bondage jokes in this chapter and i apologize in advance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> read the title that’s all i got

Jack Kelly was having possibly the weirdest day of his life. Stealing from the royal family, chased by palace guards, making an enemy out of the most ruthless thieves he knew, flirting with a palace guard, finding a literal fucking tower in the woods. 

And now, waking up with a frog tongue in his ear. “What the fuck-“ He yelped, trying to reach up to clean his ear, only to find himself wrapped in ropes. 

No, not ropes. Hair. What the actual hell was going on? Was he in some sort of weird, feverish nightmare? He was in a tower where the walls were covered with inked pages, and he was tied to a chair with an unconscious boy strapped to his back. Fun, bondage with cute boys, his favourite pastime. But even weirder was that they were tied up with what looked like really long, really blonde hair. 

That seemed to be connected to someone in the rafters. 

Jack felt a jolt at his back, and a small yelp, and he knew Davey had been woken up the same way as him. 

“We’s tied to chairs with a shitload of hair and just got woken up by a frog’s tongue in our ears.” He gave Davey the rundown. Maybe that would get him less time in prison.

“I think that’s a chameleon.” Davey hissed. “Did you say ha-“

“Struggling is useless.” A voice interrupted Davey before he could finish, but it sounded slightly nervous. Jack blinked, mostly just waiting for the gag to be revealed. Hopefully, a gag in the joke way, not in the hair way. This had to be some sort of joke. A very weird and slightly gross one, yes, but still. 

Then came the sound of someone jumping down from the rafters. “I know why you’re here, and I’m not afraid of you.” Definitely a girl, judging by the hair. 

“Excuse me, miss, but I don’t think it’s you that should be afraid of us, we were just—“ Davey was speaking with the kind of put together, kind of terrified air of a teenage boy who thought he was older than he was.

Jack, on the other hand, was far more eloquent, and he just blurted out, “What?”

Then the girl stepped out of the shadows and Jack nearly had a heart attack. Why was everyone that seemed so intent on imprisoning him today so goddamn attractive? Well, once you got past the whole enough hair to drown a man in (and certainly enough to tie a man up in. Or two, apparently) that is. Unless you were into that sort of thing. Which Jack, unfortunately, was not.

“Who are you and how did you find me?” She asked, and Jack blinked. 

“Oh, a controlling woman, I like that.” Jack said without thinking, but the girl only looked angry. And then Jack realized she was wielding a frying pan, and his head ached in sympathy. Or maybe that was the sound that issued from Davey, which was basically a groan of acceptance. A kind of “please let me get out of this without being dead or a murderer” kind of sigh.

“Who are you, and how did you find me?” The girl repeated, holding up her frying pan as if about to smack him with it. He prayed she wouldn’t, his head had been through enough as it was. 

Alright, time to boost up the charm. He cleared his throat. “I don’t know who y’ are or hows I found you, but I just wanted to say… Hey.” He gave her his signature roguish grin that he’d used on countless girls (and a few guys) before. “How you doin’? Name’s Jack Kelly.” 

“Are you literally insane?” Dave hissed, looking at him— or at least, Jack thought he was looking at him. His voice changed directions slightly. He quickly shut up, anyways, with the girl’s frying pan in his face. 

Now he really thought she was gonna hit him with her frying pan. Cast iron, he was honestly surprised she could even lift it. Which wasn’t supposed to be mean against women in general, it was just that this girl looked slim, and cast iron was heavy as fuck. But she only brandished it in his face threateningly. “Who else knows my location? And why are you talking oddly?”

Davey snorted, and Jack managed to jerk his elbow back to hit the other boy’s side. He heard a small oof of breath that was enough to put a smug grin on his face for a moment.

“Hey, don’t diss the accent, I wasn’t exactly raised too nicely, Blondie.” He muttered. 

“Katherine.” She said, narrowing her eyes in an oddly attractive way. 

“Whatever. I gots a situation. I was being, uh. I was, y’know, gallivanting through the woods.” Davey snorted again, but he seemed content to let Jack dig himself an even deeper hole. “I— uh, we came across your tower, I climbed—“ Then the thought struck him. “Oh, no, where’s my satchel? I came up here with a satchel—“

Katherine’s smug face told him all he needed to know. “I’ve hidden it, somewhere you’ll never find it.” But her eyes slid over to a rather hideous looking pot in the corner— could it be called a corner, in a circular tower? Either way, she obviously wasn’t used to lying. 

“It’s in the pot, ain’t it?” 

And he was knocked over the head for the fourth time that day. 

Jack woke to that fucking frog’s tongue in his ear again, and he yelped, trying to wipe his ear. “Christ, what’s a guy gotta do to deserve that!” 

“Now it’s hidden where you’ll never find it.” Katherine turned on her heel, starting to walk around Jack, and he had to crane his head to look at her. What if she used her pan again? “So… what do you want with my hair?”

“Am I s’posed to want something with it?” 

“To cut it?” She continued as if he hadn’t spoken, which was honestly the best course of action around Jack Kelly. “Sell it?”

“No! The only thing I wants to do with your hair at the moment is get out of it!” He tugged his wrists a bit. “Literally!” 

“You-“ Katherine stopped, as if this boy had just turned her world upside down. “Wait, you don’t want my hair?”

“Why in the world would I want your hair?” He burst out. “I was bein’ chased, I saw a tower, I climbed it. End of story.” 

“What about him?” She gestured at the boy behind Jack, who looked oddly peaceful, for a kid who’d been knocked out, what, three times that day? Sure, there was a bit of blood, but hey. 

“He ain’t… he ain’t in it for your hair, Blondie.” He at least knew that much about him. Davey seemed too logical to want someone’s hair. 

Katherine looked at him like he was speaking another language. “You’re telling the truth?” 

“It’s not like I’ve gots much of another choice, y’see.” He gestured with his hands as much as he possibly could with them tied up with blonde hair. 

Her brown eyes looked at him skeptically, pointing her pan at Jack. The weird green frog thing came scurrying up it, and— was it wearing fucking glasses? How the hell did that work— looked him up and down, before pointing at him threateningly. Oh dear lord, he was being threatened by a frog. 

Katherine pulled the pan away, before taking the frog in her hands. As Jack tried to squirm his way out of the hair, or wake Davey, or something, she had an intense whispered conversation with the frog. Then she coughed a bit, recomposing herself and turning around. “Fine. Then I have a proposition for you. Both of you.” She looked at Davey, who was still out cold, before gesturing to the frog. It scurried up Davey’s arm, and Jack winced as he heard the sticky noise. 

Davey let out a small, very inventive curse, but he was definitely awake. Jack was almost impressed. He’d never thought to combine those two curse words before. Maybe this kid did have potential.

“Both of you, listen to me.” She said, tugging on the hair holding them to their respective chairs to turn them around. However, it ended up with Jack on his face and Davey on his back, halfway upside down. 

Katherine either didn’t notice or didn’t care. “If you would look here, you would see some journal entries I’ve written on the matter of the floating lights. They appear at the same time, every year.” 

“You mean the lantern show they do for the lost princess?” Davey said, even though his voice sounded slightly slurred. Hit on the head one too many times, apparently. Jack hoped he wasn’t too hurt, he was starting to like the guy, even though he’d never say so. 

“I knew they weren’t stars!” Katherine said excitedly before composing herself again. “Tomorrow night these lanterns will appear. And if either of you want to see the satchel ever again, you will take me there and return me to this tower safely.”

“I can’t do that-“

“Sorry, miss, but there’s no way-“

“The kingdom hates me!”

“He’s my enemy!”

“We cannot-“

“I am not-“

“We can’t work together!”

Katherine looked over at the two boys squabbling. “I could always use more threatening measures.” In that moment, both of them shut up. It seemed neither of them wanted to deal with whatever the girl could think of. Jack pushed himself up as much as he could with another boy on his back. He managed to get the legs on the floor.

“Something brought you here.” Katherine said, narrowing her eyes at Jack, seemingly seeing him as the leader. “Call it what you want. Fate, destiny-“

“Davey.”

“My name’s David-“

“But if you don’t come with me, you will never, ever see your satchel, got that!” The girl’s eyes flashed, and so did her pan through the air. Jack wasn’t sure which was more threatening, but she dragged the chairs towards her, leaning them towards her so she was eye to eye with Jack. “You could tear this tower apart, brick by brick, but without my help, you’ll never find it. Neither of you. So either you give me what you want or leave.” 

There was silence for a moment. 

“You leaves me no choice.” Then Jack did his classic smolder. It usually got him what he wanted from pretty girls, and some pretty guys, too. 

“What the hell are you doing?” Davey hissed. “Just agree with her- I’ll take you to see the lights, okay?” 

“Dave! You’re ruining my smolder!” 

“What the heck is a smolder?” 

“Apparently, he’s… pursing his lips at me.” Katherine muttered. 

“Kelly, I’m going to-“

“Fine! We’ll take you to see the lanterns!” 

Katherine squealed in delight, but when she pulled her hands away to celebrate, she brought the chairs crashing to the floor.

Jack groaned. 

“Are you alright?” Davey said, and for a moment, Jack thought he was concerned, until he realized that he was only worried about losing his job as palace guard by bringing home the crown thief dead. 

“I thinks ya broke my smolder.” 

“Pity.” 

“Can ya ever just taste sarcasm?” Jack muttered. But his fate was sealed. Time to take a girl and a palace guard into the center of the kingdom where he was liable to be arrested.

Jack was not excited.


	5. down the tower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> davey’s gay, jack’s a flirt, and katherine’s having an existential crisis

Going down a tower was significantly harder than going up one. Davey wasn’t the fittest palace guard in the first place, since most of his muscle came from occasional sword fighting and running from kids who didn’t like him when he was younger, but climbing was bad enough without having Jack Kelly, infamous jewel thief, offering to give him a piggyback ride down the 60 feet of tower. 

The one difference was the fact that they had managed to acquire a girl with long hair, who apparently wanted to see the lanterns, and had somehow hidden the crown in a tower in the middle of fucking nowhere. 

“You comin’, Blondie?” Jack called up, since the girl, Katherine, was hovering on the windowsill, holding her own hair like a lifeline.

Davey had no clue what to make of her. A threatening, obviously smart, girl in the woods who wrote journal entries with perfect grammar despite not owning a pair of sensible shoes. And, apparently, the object of Jack’s blatant flirting. Davey had no clue why he felt a little twinge in his stomach when he flirted or smiled at Katherine. Just sickness at how cheesy it all was, probably. 

Davey was jolted out of his reverie by a bunch of blonde hair falling into his face, making him choke for a moment. It was followed quickly by a purple skirted figure, and Davey barely had the time to move out of the way before Katherine came whirling past him. 

It took him about ten more minutes to find his way to the forest floor, and by that time, Katherine was splashing in the little river nearby the tower’s base, almost like a little kid. It reminded him of his little brother, jumping in puddles and soaking his shoes no matter how many times Davey told him they couldn’t afford new ones if he ruined them.

Jack appeared next to him, barely breaking a sweat. Which was blatantly unfair, when Davey looked like a drowned rat put through a wringer. “She’s an odd one.”

“Like a jewel thief who flirts with anything that walks?” Davey snapped back, folding his arms. 

Jack put a hand to his chest in mock offense. “Excuse me, Daveykins, I’m offended.” 

“Do  _ not  _ call me Daveykins.”

“Alright, Daveykins.” Jack winked at him, and Davey felt his face go hot. Anger, that was all. And that was why his heart felt like it was running double time. 

“Come on!” Katherine called over her shoulder, her long hair flowing behind her as she raced towards the ivy curtain separating her from the rest of the world. Davey and Jack had no choice but to follow begrudgingly as she raced from place to place, like a flighty bird who’d just found out that there was life outside a cage. 

“This is the best! Day! Ever!” Katherine said, as she scaled a tree with surprising dexterity. 

“What, ain’t you ever seen a tree before?” Jack snorted, but Katherine hung upside down from a branch, right in their faces. 

“Nope! Not up close, but my father told me all about-“ At her own mention of her father, her face fell. 

“You gots a father?” Jack sounded almost jealous. 

Davey looked at him oddly. “Don’t you?” 

Jack made a face that looked like he’d rather suck on a lemon than answer that question. “I don’t needs folks.” The pure anguish in his tone made Davey drop the question. 

“What about friends? You got those?” In that moment, Davey was reminded of what his sister always said.  _ “David, you’re a nice enough kid, but sometimes your mouth walks off without you.”  _ He asked too many questions, it was uncomfortable.

Jack obviously agreed with her, by the look on his face. “I don’t need those, either.” 

Katherine dropped down from the tree, starting to walk again. She walked backwards, tilting her head at Davey and Jack. “You guys aren’t friends? Usually in stories, the hero and his partner are friends.” 

Davey choked. “He is  _ not  _ my partner.”

“Why do ya think you’re the hero?” Jack huffed. “I think I’m more the hero type.”

“You sound like you were raised in the slums, Kelly. And you’re a-“

Jack gave him a glare that made the word ‘thief’ die in his throat. It was better to let Katherine assume he was somewhat nice. Right? 

“It don’t matter where I was raised, Davey. I’m more the hero type, y’know.” 

Davey snorted. “In your dreams, Kelly.” 

They were interrupted by Katherine, staring at the treetops. “I’m a horrible daughter.” 

Davey exchanged a look with Jack, looking confused. “What- why are you saying that?” He finally asked tentatively, coming up alongside her. He glanced back at Jack, who only shrugged.

“I’m not supposed to leave.” Katherine mumbled. “I broke my promise, I said I wouldn’t leave. But I’m not just going to give up on my dream! I can handle myself just fine.” 

Davey saw an opportunity. “I mean, we could just take you back home, and be on our w—“

“No!” Katherine’s eyes flashed, and she whirled on him. Davey was suddenly reminded of the time Sarah had smacked him, and stepped back quickly. This girl didn’t just have her hand, she had a frying pan, too. “I’m not going back! This is my only chance to see the lights.” 

“Davey-wavey’s got a point.” Jack said, ruffling Davey’s hair as he came up behind him. Davey glared at him, not sure whether to be thankful for the compliment or ticked off because of the nickname. “If we takes you back, we gets the satchel, you get to keep a wonderful relationship with your pops, and we all part ways as unlikely pals.” 

Katherine brandished her frying pan at him. “I am  _ not  _ going back until I see those lights, and both of you are taking me there!” She swung her frying pan to go right between Davey’s eyes, and he had to resist the urge to step backwards. “And if either of you take me back right now, you’ll never, ever get your satchel, got that?” 

Davey swallowed, nodding. “Fine. We’ll take you to see the lanterns.” 

“Yeah, fo’ sure.” Jack said with a grin towards Katherine, and her pan wavered. She put it down with a huff, before nodding. 

Then Jack lit up. “Y’know what? Are ya getting hungry? I’m starving.” He brushed down his vest, as if he was a proper gentleman. “I know a place close to here, the fellas there love me. I’m a regular.”

Davey blinked at him, obviously confused by the sudden conversation change. He seriously doubted that any ‘fellas’ actually loved Jack, but he couldn’t say that. 

“I could go for some food.” Katherine said, and Jack put his arm around her, steering her in a different direction, leaving Davey to trail after the two of them. He looked a bit like a disgruntled toddler, but he followed them, only glancing back towards the tower once more. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i just wanted to thank all of you for all the kind comments on this fic!! it’s really nice that you guys all are enjoying it, even if this is a reread or a new story for you. 
> 
> anyways, stay safe, and stay wonderful, loves!!
> 
> percy


	6. the snuggly duckling ain’t so snuggly bois

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> jack’s in trouble, davey’s embarrassed, and katherine doesn’t know what a tomato is.  
> oh, and a few of the newsies make an appearance

The Snuggly Duckling didn’t look very snuggly. It was a rundown little shack, and the only evidence to it being a genuine establishment was the fact that it had a sign and there was a single drunk old man on the stoop. Jack dragged Davey and Katherine behind a bush, looking at Davey, up and down. “Ya can’t go in there dressed like that.” He hissed, gesturing at his uniform. 

“What?” Davey blinked at him. What establishment could he not wear his guard uniform into- oh, right. Jack was a wanted thief, and a well renowned one at that. He’d once escaped jail on the back of the royal advisor’s carriage, if gossip was to be believed. Of course he’d bring them to a place where he wasn’t able to wear a royal guard uniform. “Well, sorry I don’t bring a change of clothes on a mission, Kelly.” He muttered, folding his arms.

“If ya would, it would make things a lot easier.” Jack snapped back. “I’d give you mine, but I can’t exactly go in there shirtless, not after last time.”

Davey had to shake off the image of Jack shirtless, because that was not at all a good idea to think about a criminal in a, well, less than appropriate manner. “What did you even- you know what, never mind. I don’t have clothes to change into.”

From Davey’s elbow, Katherine spoke up. “Davey-“ 

Jack cut her off. “Well, then we gots to steal some.” He said, as if speaking to a toddler. “Or is Mr. Palace Guard afraid to participate in a little thievery?”

“I could just wait outside—“

“I already-“ Katherine started, but the two boys were too busy squabbling to care much about her.

“No way! Ya could be waiting to rat me out to your little guard friends!”

“When would I have had the time to rat you out to anyone? I was with you this whole time. And we fell down a cliff, remember?”

“Boys!”

Katherine’s yell interrupted them, and she held out a bundle of clothes, shoving them at Davey. “They had a clothesline out back. They’re a little mismatched, but they should fit you, I think. I left some of those gold pieces I found in the satchel where I found them, so they shouldn’t be too upset.” 

Jack blinked at her. “You’re the strangest female I ever met.” 

“Thank you.” Katherine said with a grin, as Davey picked through the clothes. 

“How’d you get my size?” He held up a blue checkered shirt with brown pants, plus a brownish vest. They were a little threadbare, sure, but they worked. 

“Father said I should learn embroidery, and I got good at measuring by eye. Not that I ever made anything for anyone other than him and I. Oh, and Darcy.” Katherine said with a shrug. 

“You named the frog Darcy?” Jack asked, giving the small green creature a look of disdain. 

“He’s a chameleon.”

“Tomato, tomato.” 

“What’s a tomato?” 

“Oh my god, Davey, she don’t know what a tomato is. You ain’t never had a tomato before? Ya sure?”

“I’m sure.” Katherine said, in a decent imitation of Jack’s accent. She glanced around. “Wait, where’d Davey go?” 

Davey came back, his guard uniform in a small red bundle in his arms. “The clothes fit.” He mumbled, not sure what to do with the uniform. Katherine solved that, taking them from him and bundling them up, tucking them under a tree root. 

“We can get them-“ She straightened up, dusting off her skirt, to see Jack staring at Davey with a kind of shocked, awed look on his face. Davey hadn’t noticed yet, watching Katherine, but when he glanced over at Jack, Jack quickly looked away. 

“Right! Food time. They love me here, don’t worry.” He put an arm each around Davey and Katherine, guiding them towards the front door. 

When the door opened, a whole host of eyes turned to them— shining eyes in grubby faces. Katherine was immediately on guard, her pan held out like a sword, as if they might suddenly run and attack her. “Garçon!” Jack said, but it was a very poorly botched accent, as if he’d only ever heard it spoken by people who didn’t know where France was, how to speak French, or even knew that France existed. “Your finest table please.” 

Davey recognized a lot of the faces— petty thieves, minor criminals, refugees. Mostly, they just looked like a motley crew of inebriated men. His favourite type of people.

Jack’s arm linked around his neck, pulling him down to his height. “Ya smell that, Davey darling? I think it’s one part bad man smell, and one part really bad man smell— oh my god, that man gots blood in his mustache! Blondie, c’mere, look at the blood in this fella’s mustache!” 

Davey shook Jack off, his cheeks pink. None of the men— boys, now that he was looking at them closer— seemed too thrilled at the interruption. Finally, a boy even shorter than Jack with a red and black striped shirt sauntered up, a piece of paper in his hands. He grabbed Jack by the vest, pulling him down as the paper hit the post in the center of the room with a smack. “This you?” He said, in an accent even thicker than Jack’s. 

Jack looked over at the poster, then at the boy, then at the poster again. He reached out, shifting one finger. Jack groaned— the poster showed him, but with a nose so bulbous it almost looked like a radish was stuck to his face. “Alright, now they’re just bein’ mean.” 

The boy didn’t appreciate Jack’s laments, as he slammed the taller boy against the post, eyes flashing. Davey flinched, hand shooting out to grab the boy back, before thinking better of it. The other boys had realized what was going on. “With the reward money, I can buy myself anythin’ I want.” 

He snapped his fingers. “Ay, Specs, run and get the palace guards, they’re gonna want to get a load of this guy. We’re gonna be rich!” 

But almost as soon as the boy, a tall one with, as suspected, a pair of glasses, was out, the other boys swarmed around him, trying to pull at Jack’s clothes. Davey heard a ripping noise, and winced, trying to grab the boys’ arms. They didn’t budge, their squabbling loud and clear. One of the taller boys wanted a box of cigars with the bounty, another wanted food, and one of them even said he wanted a permanent box at the races. 

Their words cut off abruptly as a clang sounded, and Davey saw Katherine standing behind the shortest one, the one in the striped shirt, frying pan brandished in front of her and chest heaving. “Let. Him. Go!” She said, in such an imperious voice that they all obeyed. Jack fell to the floor, Davey rushing in despite himself to help him up. After all, he couldn’t let his future prisoner die at the hands of a bunch of bar thugs. “If you all would just stop fighting and listen to me, you’d understand!” 

Davey didn’t have the heart to tell her that they were so intrigued by the fact that there was a girl that they were speechless. “This boy is my guide! If you would kindly stop trying to kill him, that would be appreciated! God, all I want to do is see the floating lights that I’ve been dreaming about my whole life— haven’t any of you ever had a dream?” She sounded desperate, her voice pleading. 

The striped shirt boy whirled on her, stepping closer. Davey had to hold Jack away from punching him back from Katherine, who stood surprisingly sturdily against the bar, even with trembling hands. “I had a dream once.” He said, and all the boys turned to him in shock and surprise, even Davey and Jack. Hell, even Katherine looked surprised. 

The boy stepped back, spitting in his hand and holding it out. “The name’s Spot, Spot Conlon.” He said. Davey had to resist the urge to gag at the idea of it. Katherine didn’t look too thrilled about it, either, but she gave a curtsy. “An’ Jack Kelly may be a lying, thieving, son of a—“

“Hey now, Spotty, ain’t ya ever heard of hospitality?” Another boy stepped forwards, giving a dramatic bow, doffing his hat to Katherine. “The name’s Romeo, and methinks ya wanna be handled by a real man, such as myself.” He reached out, kissing Katherine’s hand. 

Spot shoved him back. “Ya say you wanna see the lights, huh? The lantern sh- stuff?” He looked at Katherine closer. “Fine, you guys can stay here.”

And Davey found himself and Jack sitting at a table in the corner while the boys squabbled for Katherine’s affections. Davey stared at his plate, at the food that was there. He couldn’t afford to be picky, but he was kind of worried about the odd chunks in the stew. Jack had no such qualms, too busy listening in on the conversation at Katherine’s table and shoveling stew in his mouth to wonder about what he was eating.

“Y’know, I look like I’m a seasoned murderer, but I don’t wanna be one.” Spot said, sitting next to Katherine, who mainly looked scandalized by his feet on the table. “I always wanted to be a pianist.” 

There was silence for a second. “Y’know, Spot, I think ya gots one of those already.” One boy piped up. The others murmured their assent, seemingly confused.

“What- no, not a— Christ, a pianist. I wanna play piano, dumbass.” Spot groaned. “Like, a real concert man. Play it for tips and all that.”

The boy next to him snorted. “Really?” 

“Ya got a problem with that, Higgins?” The boy held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. 

“Nah, you just don’t seem like the music playing sort of chap.” 

Spot rolled his eyes. “And what’d you know about music?” 

“I dunno.” The boy shrugged, but Katherine sat closer to him, making him jump a little. 

“What about you? What’s your dream, Higgins?” She sounded genuinely interested, and Davey thought the boy was about to combust. 

“Uh, my name’s Racetrack. That’s what all the fellas call me, I mean. And I…” Race glanced over at Spot for a moment, then away. “I dunno, I kinda wanna…” He mumbled something so quietly Davey had to strain to hear it. 

“That’s a lovely dream.” Katherine said, smiling at him. “I wouldn’t mind falling in love, either.” 

And that started a slew of boys speaking their deepest dreams and desires and hobbies. “I wanna be a florist!” “I wanna be the fancy guy that decorates those house thingies!” “I make cakes!” “I knit!” “I sew!” “I make li’l puppets outta old socks!”

Race pointed his cigar at Jack. “Hey, Kelly, what’s your dream? Or is imagination too much for ya brain to handle?” 

Jack rolled his eyes, clinking his spoon against the bowl. “Well, I’m touched to hear you care, Race, but I ain’t got time for dreams.” 

A chorus of boos came from the surrounding boys, who had all rounded on Jack and Davey. “Alright, alright!” Jack held up his hands, and the boys eventually quieted down. “I wanna go to this one place out west, there’s this little town there and it’s all new and farmland. That good enough for you?”

“Ya dream stinks.” Called a voice from near the back, and Spot yelled, “Shut it, Finch!” to shut him up. 

“What about you, kid?” Spot turned his chair, sitting on it backwards. “The tall one in the corner. Ain’t seen you around here. What’s your dream?”

For all Davey’s shrinking into the corner, he had been spotted. “I dunno.” He muttered. “I kind of—“ 

Before any of his secrets came out, the door burst open, and the tall boy with the glasses came in, out of breath. “I found the guards!” He said, and Jack leapt into action, dragging Davey by his wrist and grabbing Katherine along too, hiding them both behind the bar’s counter before ducking under himself, just in time for the door to crash open. 

Davey held his breath, praying that they couldn’t hear them. He never thought he’d be hiding from his own boss under a bar, holding an armful of long golden hair, with a wanted thief, a girl with a frying pan, and a chameleon. 

“Where’d they go?” Wiesel, the leader of the guards. Well, most people just called him Weasel, because he did kind of have a rather ferrety look to him. Not that he was thin, far from it, just that he looked like he would probably weasel his way into your house and weasel his way back out with your money and your kids. “You promised me Kelly was here, boy!” There was a bang, as if he’d smacked his hand on the wooden countertop, and Davey felt Katherine flinch next to him. Almost immediately, he felt protective, his older brother instincts kicking in. He almost stood, ready to smash Wiesel’s face in, but Jack’s hand on his wrist stopped him. 

Right, he probably looked like he was about to rat them out to the guards. They had a silent conversation, which was something along the lines of, “I need to go out there.” “Stay put, idiot.” “But he scared Katherine—“ “I said stay put, idiot!” 

They were interrupted by a small striped figure ducking behind the counter with them. “We’ve gots to work fast. Kelly, you’re an idiot and I hate you, but I don’t want you gettin’ caught by the guards. I know what Snyder does to people like them.” He jerked his thumb towards Davey and Katherine. “There’s a passage under the bar here. Leads out to the woods. Ain’t been used in ages, but there should be some lanterns near the front. Get your asses out of here.” 

Jack nodded once, peeking over the counter in a way that made Davey want to drag him down by his shirt collar. In their silence, he could hear a few voices.

Jack’s face went a shade of white that Davey had never seen on a human before, and he shifted his position to seemingly hide better, but still be able to see. He must have seen someone he didn’t like.

“I think this is the guy you’s lookin for!” 

A growl from Weasel told Davey it was not, in fact, the guy he was looking for. The following squabbling further influenced that conclusion. Jack ducked down, a small grin on his face. “They’s pretendin’ Race is me. Told you they loved me after all.” 

Davey and Katherine exchanged glances, and Katherine only raised an eyebrow, shooting him a grin.

With a surprisingly silent swing, a section of the floor dropped down, revealing a passage under the bar. Davey looked at Katherine and Jack, before ducking down ahead of them. 

“Go, live ya dream.” Spot said, gesturing towards the darkness below. 

“Thanks, I will.” Jack said, but Spot smacked him upside the head. 

“I wasn’t talkin’ to you, I was talkin’ to her. Finch was right, ya dream stinks.”

Jack spluttered in offense. 

“No offense, Jack, but Spot is right. The whole sleepy town thing is way overdone.” You knew your life decisions were bad when you were getting advice on where to live from a girl who spent almost her entire life in a tower. Katherine turned to Spot. “Thank you for everything.” She leaned up, kissing his cheek gently, before ducking down the hole after Davey. 

“Do I get to kiss ya-“

“Get in the hole, Kelly.” 

Jack obliged, finding Katherine and Davey waiting for him, looking pale in the light from their newly acquired lanterns. And then, with a silent nod, they disappeared into the tunnel as the hatch closed behind them. 

And in all the hubbub, no one noticed a figure disappearing from the window, the gleam of a knife hidden in the folds of their cloak.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was reading this over, as one does, and i realized  
> i really should have made romeo the love thug  
> but i didn’t and i’m not changing it now so oops


	7. damn, it’s a dam.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> every single one of them is screaming.

Katherine’s idea of the great outside place couldn’t be more off the mark. Instead of being full of trees and nice people and singing and dancing, like she’d imagined, or the horrific nightmare place her father described, she got this. A cold, dark tunnel under a bar leading to God knows where, where the dripping water echoed around them and the only sounds were their footsteps. 

“I gots to say, I didn’t know you had that in ya, Blondie. I ain’t never seen someone make those boys act all nice and soft like that. It’s kinda impressive.” Jack said, holding the lantern out in front of him.

Katherine, despite their minor run in with the guards, seemed excited. “I know!” She coughed awkwardly. “I mean, I know.” 

There was silence for a bit, before Katherine spoke again. “So… Jack, where are you from?” 

Almost immediately, Jack was on guard. “No, certainly not. I don’t do backstories.” He said, and the lantern light wavered slightly, as if his hand was shaking. “Although, I’m becoming very interested in yours. Y’know, I’m not gonna mention the hair. Or the father. And I’m too scared about the frog to even ask.” 

“Chameleon.”

“Gesundheit. But I gots to ask— if you’ve always wanted to see the lanterns, why ain’t ya gone before?” 

Davey stepped up alongside them, about to speak when the entire tunnel started shaking. Small pebbles fell from the ceiling, quivering on the floor where they landed. 

“Jack-“ A strangled voice choked out, and Davey was surprised to find it was his own. Both him and Katherine turned to Jack— like it or not, he was, essentially, their ringleader. Sure, Davey had the brains, but brains were useless when being chased by guards. 

Then, behind them, voices echoed. The guards were gaining on them, getting closer and closer.

Jack grabbed both of their hands. “Run!” 

And run they did. They didn’t have the time to think about where they were going, or which tunnel to take, they just ran. Technically, Davey didn’t have to run— Weasel wasn’t after him at all, but he was so caught up in the moment that he just followed wherever they went.

They burst out onto a small platform, and Davey barely had the time to stop before they all toppled over the edge. There was a fifty foot drop at least. 

“Dam.” 

“Language, Jack!” 

“We’s being chased by guards! I’m allowed to swear. But I meant we’re by the old dam and water mill, this place ain’t been used in years.” Jack backed away, as if searching for an exit strategy.

At the edge of the precipice, a rope ladder lay. Davey made his way towards it. “There’s a door down there, we’ve got a head start—“

But a few feet down from the door, a boarded up passageway broke open, spilling out two men. “Who is that?” Katherine asked, her hair bundled up in her arms and panting from their run. 

“They don’t like me.” Jack said, his face the same shade of white from earlier. Davey recognized them— the Delancey brothers. Their posters were almost as common as Jack’s, but better produced. 

The guards erupted from the passageway— Davey counted a squadron of four, including Weasel. Their best men, other than, well, him. Fuck. 

“Who is that?” Katherine sounded more terrified. 

“They don’t- let’s just assume everyone here doesn’t like me!”

Davey ducked his head, trying not to let them see his face. It didn’t work. “Jacobs! You traitor! If we get back to the castle, you’re being arrested for treason against the crown.” Davey stepped back, opening his mouth to respond. 

There was an oof from his side, and Davey glanced over to see Jack holding Katherine’s pan and Katherine preparing to throw her hair like a lasso. It lashed around a beam some twenty feet above, and she swung over the chasm, landing safely on a ledge. There was no way that was physically possible. 

Davey and Jack had other issues, though, and they were a bit more impending and heavily armed. Jack was armed with only a frying pan, and Davey had lost his sword when he’d fallen off the cliff. The first guard came at them on Weasel’s orders, and Jack swung the pan hard, knocking the man in the face. Davey dove for his sword, managing to snatch it from his grasp and brandishing it at the other guards. 

“Jacobs, you’re hereby sentenced with treason, abandoning your post, and assisting a known fugitive!” Weasel said, coming towards him, sword twirling. 

“Yeah, how about you add attacking my boss to that list?” Davey said, before he swung his sword at Weasel. He got a kind of sick satisfaction from the cut he caused on his cheek, however small it was. Weasel was an awful boss. “And anyways, I quit!” 

Bad idea, but Jack was already panting after knocking out the other three guards, and he came up behind Weasel, beaning him on the head. He shot Davey a genuine, unbridled grin, and Davey was struck with a kind of surprised stupor. That is, until he felt hair wrap around his hand, and Katherine’s exclamation of “Davey!” jerked him out of it. He grabbed Jack’s hand, falling through the air with him.

Note to self: don’t go rope climbing with hair, especially not when being chased by guards and two known fugitives, while clinging on to a wanted thief. It is not a fun time. Davey felt his arm jerk, as if about to pull out of his socket, but he had to swallow down the pain. Or at least, he would have, if he weren’t screaming in a very undignified fashion. 

“Jack, look out-“ It was too late. Jack had crashed full force into one of the poles holding the dam together, and the rotted wood splintered. It broke easily under the weight of the water, sending a huge wave of it towards them. They had barely enough time to pull Katherine to them before the water swept towards them, and, for the second time that day, they all took off in a sprint.

The tiny door in the distance was getting bigger and bigger, but there was also a wall of water in front of them. Davey pushed Jack and Katherine in ahead of him, diving forwards at the last minute. A giant crack behind him told him that one of the rock pillars had cracked under the pressure, falling towards them. It landed squarely covering the opening, snuffing out all but the barest hint of light. The door was closed, and they found themselves in a tiny cave. 

Jack cursed as water flooded in, covering their shoes and Katherine’s bare feet, and they all tried getting to higher ground. No such luck. There were no openings big enough for their hand, let alone all three of them. 

Jack dove down into the rapidly rising water as Katherine and Davey scrabbled at the rocks above them, trying to find a loose one, or something. Jack surfaced once, twice, three times, before desperately slamming his shoulder into the wall. Davey hauled him up by his wrist. “Are you insane?” He said, keeping Jack from hurting himself. 

“We gots to get out of here, Davey!” No nickname, no flirting, just pure unbridled panic. Jack tried pushing against a rock, but his hand slipped. He gave a cry of pain, cradling his hand, which was now bleeding from a deep cut. 

Davey looked to Katherine in a panic, before diving down as well, trying to find some way out. It was no use. He couldn’t see a thing, and he surfaced, coughing and spluttering. 

“It’s pitch dark down there, Davey! There’s no point.” Jack said, and he reached out, pushing Davey’s hair out of his eyes. Davey’s heart seemed to beat a bit faster. Adrenaline, that was all.

“There’s gotta be some way out of here!” Katherine said, but the water was rising steadily. Their desperation and adrenaline was fading away, reminding them that all they were was kids. Just scared, terrified teenagers, trying to live a stupid dream. “I’m- I’m so sorry, David. Jack. This was all my fault, I never should have- should have left.” 

There was silence for a bit, except the rising water. 

“Francis.” 

“What?” Katherine’s voice sounded choked with tears. 

“My name’s not Jack Kelly. It’s Francis Sullivan.” Jack swallowed. “I, uh, just thought someone ought to know.” 

“I have magic hair that glows when I sing.”

“I’m not actually as smart as I seem, I just bullshit my way through life pretending I know what’s going on.”

“What.”

“I didn’t think it was that big of a deal—“

“Not you, Davey!” 

By the time Davey had reached that conclusion, Katherine started singing in a panicked, rushed voice. “Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine, make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine!” The water was to their chins now, and she had to take a deep breath before they all went under. 

There was a moment where Davey was certain he was going to drown. He was going to die, with Jack Kelly and Katherine, in an abandoned water mill, without ever seeing his parents or his siblings again. He’d never get his first kiss, he’d never fall in love, he’d never get a real job. 

Then Katherine’s hair started to glow gold, illuminating their faces. Davey could feel his lungs burning from the effort of holding his breath, but the hair seemed to be moving of its own accord, bumping against the rocks below them. One dislodged— it was loose, poorly bricked up. Davey and Jack dove down, scrabbling for purchase against the slick rock, before Jack’s hand passed through. Moments before Davey took a breath, the rocks all fell through, and together they were swept out and into a deep pool of water.

The three of them broke the surface of the river, coughing and spluttering. Davey hauled himself onto the shore, turning onto his back to stare at the sky. He wasn’t dead.

“We’re alive.” Katherine said, out of breath and choked, but still with that unbridled enthusiasm.

“Her hair glows.” Jack said, sounding more terrified than anything. “Why does her hair glow.” He looked desperately towards Darcy, who had somehow managed to make it out unscathed, pushing his hair out of his face and wringing out his cap. “How the hell does it glow?”

“Francis!” Katherine said, hauling her long, sopping wet hair out of the river. “It doesn’t just glow.”

Jack swallowed, looking at the chameleon, then back at Katherine. “Why is the frog smiling at me?” Katherine only gave him a mysterious smile, helping him up. Davey groaned, pushing himself up. 

“We should find a place to sleep. Then we can talk.”


	8. the one where no one dies (yet)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which davey and kath are both attracted to jack and jack is a bisexual mess with a tragic backstory. also, fuck joseph pulitzer.

Deep in the forest, a man lay in wait. His face was drawn, his dagger unsheathed as if he was prepared to leap out from behind the boulder and slit someone’s throat. And it seemed he may be in luck. From a hatch in the tree, painted with a large yellow duck, the sound of voices issued. 

The man crept out from behind the boulder, dagger brandished in one hand, cloak sweeping the forest floor. He hadn’t come all this way for nothing. The palace horse without a rider, the empty tower, the bar. He wasn’t going to let his prize go that easily.

That silly girl. She’d run off with a wanted thief and a palace guard, all to see the stupid lanterns. She’d learn that he was right, that the world was cruel and unforgiving, and he’d drag her back to their tower kicking and screaming if he had to. 

But when the hatch opened, the wet, bedraggled boys weren’t the palace guard and the thief. They were the other two fugitives, and the man pieced together the puzzle in his brain. Oscar and Morris Delancey, after the crown, and probably revenge on Jack Kelly. The man smiled, ducking behind the boulder again.

“I’ll kill him, I’ll kill that Kelly!” The one burst out, hands on his knees and panting. The other brother leaned against the tree, coughing. “We’ll cut him off at the capital, and take off with the crown.” 

The other nodded, going to follow him in the direction of the castle, before they were interrupted. 

“Boys!” The man had stood on the boulder, hood down around his shoulders. He looked too imperious to be standing in the middle of a forest, but he got the two boy’s attention easily. “Perhaps you’d like to stop acting like dogs chasing their own tails and think for a moment.” He held out the satchel in his hand, as if dangling a treat in front of them.

Immediately, the two drew their swords. The man laughed, before tossing the satchel down to them. “There’s no need for that.” 

The brothers squabbled over the satchel, before one of them drew out the crown. It still managed to shimmer in the evening light, despite having been in a bag. They gave almost identical malicious grins. 

“Well, if that’s all you desire, you can be on your way. I was going to offer you something much more valuable. Worth a thousand crowns, at least.” The man gave a grin that made his mustache look positively evil. “And that wasn’t even the best part. Ah, well, c’est la vie. Enjoy your crown, boys.” 

The two boys exchanged glances, before looking at the man, eyes narrowed. “What’s the best part?” One of them piped up, taking the bait.

The man turned around. “It comes with revenge on Jack Kelly.” He said, brandishing the Wanted poster from the satchel. Despite Jack’s obviously disfigured nose, the Delancey’s knew just what the man meant, and they exchanged identical smirks. This was the moment they’d been waiting for for years. 

~~~ 

Meanwhile, deep in the woods, a tiny fire was crackling, throwing light on the three teenagers surrounding it. Katherine’s brow was furrowed in almost intense concentration as she wrapped her hair around Jack’s palm. 

Jack looked a bit confused. “You’re bein’ oddly quiet as you wrap your magic glowing hair around my injured hand.” He said, before wincing audibly. 

“Sorry! It’s just— give me a minute, and I can show you.” Katherine said, looking up at him, biting her lip. “Just… promise me you won’t freak out or anything, okay?” 

Jack looked down at his hand, then up at Katherine, with an odd look on his face, like he was already wanting to freak out. Which was honestly fair, considering what they’d been through that day.

Davey came to sit next to him as Katherine started to sing, the same song she’d sung earlier. This time, Davey was able to watch the progression of the light as it traveled all along the length of her hair, every strand lighting up brightly, as if it was catching the firelight and trapping it inside. It reached Jack’s hand, and it glowed with calm light. 

The song ended and the light faded. The chameleon perched on Katherine’s shoulder seemed to point at Jack’s hand, where he unwrapped the hair, his eyes going wide. Davey made a small noise of surprise. 

Jack’s hand was completely normal. No blood, no scar, just slightly calloused, otherwise unblemished skin. From the tensing of his shoulders and the way he was staring at his hand, Jack seemed about to break his promise and freak out. 

“Please don’t freak out!” Katherine said quickly, holding up her hands to stop Jack’s panic. 

Jack stopped, the sound of his scream stopping in his throat. “I’m not freakin’ out, are you freakin’ out? Nah I’m just- I’m just very interested in your hair.” He said, his voice sounding very much like he was, in fact, freaking out.

“How does it do that?” Davey piped up, ever the scientist. “There’s no way that can be physically possible, every law of the universe goes against it. I’ve read so many books on science and physics, but none of them ever said anything about this. How long has it been able to do this?” His eyes were bright— his curiosity was always his fatal flaw. 

“Um, since forever?” Katherine seemed almost embarrassed by the attention. Her small smile faded. “Father says when I was a baby, people figured out what my hair was able to do. They tried to cut it, take it for themselves. But…” She pulled her hair away from her ear, revealing a small brown lock of hair. “When it’s cut, it loses all it’s magical properties. A gift like that… it has to be protected. That’s why Father never… that’s why I never—“ 

It was Davey who got her meaning first. “That’s why you stay in that tower.” He said softly, and Katherine looked up from where she was staring at the fire. 

“And you’re still going back?” Jack’s brows furrowed, looking oddly upset. Of course he did— he was Mr. Go West, the one that wanted to see the world. To him, the idea of staying in one place all his life was torture.

“No.” Katherine said insistently before swallowing. “Yes?” She groaned, dropping her face into her palms. “It’s complicated.” She mumbled, voice muffled. 

There was silence for a bit, before Davey nudged Jack. He just wanted him to stop looking at Katherine all mushy like that. “So… Francis Sullivan?”

Katherine jumped at the offer of another conversation, grinning at Jack despite her obvious inner turmoil. “What a name.”

Now it was Jack’s turn to look abashed. “I- well- I’ll spare you the sob story of the poor orphan kid Francis Sullivan. It’s, uh, it’s a little bit of a downer.” He said, looking awkwardly between the two of them. As if in a mirror, the two of them both scooched closer, leaning their heads on their hands. Davey shot Katherine a grin over Jack’s shoulder, which she returned. Even Darcy looked intrigued by the idea of the story.

Jack laughed awkwardly, before looking at both of them. Then, staring into the fire, he started. “There was this book. I’d used to read it to the other kids— the Tales of Jackson Kelly. He was a swashbuckling rogue, richest man alive, and he wasn’t too bad with the ladies, either.” He nudged Katherine. “Not that he’d ever brag about it, of course.”

Davey laughed a bit, which earned him a smile from Jack. He looked away quickly, cheeks red. It was just from the fire, right? “Was he a thief too?” He asked, but it sounded less accusatory than usual. Jack’s smile faded. 

“Well… no. He didn’t need t’ steal. He had everything. He had enough money to do anything he wanted to do, go anywhere he wanted to go. He could go out west, he could own a house, he could do absolutely anything. And to an orphan kid… with nothing but a crippled best friend…” He trailed off, poking at the fire with a stick. “I dunno. It just seemed like the better option.”

He looked over at Davey, then at Katherine. “You two can’t tell anyone about this, got that? It would ruin my whole reputation.”

Katherine smiled, sidling up to him, nudging his side. “And we can’t have that.”

“Of course not, a fake reputation’s all he’s got.” Davey teased, and Jack stole his hat, rubbing his knuckles against his head. Davey ducked away, laughing as he tried to take the hat back. 

They fell backwards off the tree root, Davey still reaching for his hat in Jack’s hand, before realizing he was pretty much on top of the other boy, and he stood up quickly, cheeks red. “I, uh. I should, y’know, get some more… wood. For the fire. We’re running low.” He stammered, before stepping back, nearly tripping over the tree route, and turning and heading into the woods. 

Jack propped himself on his elbows, looking at Katherine in confusion. 

Katherine gave him a look like, ‘You idiot’. “Go after him. I’ll watch the fire.” Jack nodded, before standing up, going to follow Davey. “Hey.” Katherine said softly, until he turned around. “For the record… I like Francis Sullivan better.” 

Jack gave a small smile. “Well… you’d be the first.” He mumbled, before disappearing into the woods after Davey.

Katherine looked at his retreating back with a smile, before she heard slow clapping from behind her. “Well, that was absolutely touching.” She whirled around, hand on her frying pan, to see…

“Father?”

Her father stood there, stoic as always, his dark cloak sweeping the forest floor behind him. “I thought he’d never leave. Hello, dear.”

Katherine stood, her dark eyes wide, almost like a deer caught in the headlights. “But— but how— I thought— how did you find me?” She stammered, as her father wrapped her in his arms. A red flag, he never hugged her if he could help it. 

“Oh, it was easy. I just caught the scent of complete and utter betrayal and followed that.” He said, before pulling away, hands on her shoulders. “We’re going home, Katherine. Now.” 

“But- father, you can’t! You don’t understand, I’ve been on this amazing journey and I’ve learned so many things, and I think- I think I’ve even made friends!” She said, looking up at him hopefully, but his eyes were cold and unforgiving. 

“Oh, yes, the wanted thief and the runaway palace guard, I’m so proud of you, darling.” He said, his words absolutely dripping with sarcasm. “Come along, Katherine.”

“Wait, you don’t understand!” She repeated more desperately, shaking her hand from his grasp. “I think— I think they like me!” 

“They like you?” Her father said, before laughing coldly. “That’s absolutely demented, Katherine. This is why you never should have left your tower. You’re too naive to see— they don’t care about you. They only care about the thief boy’s satchel, and as soon as you give it to them, they’ll leave you forever.” 

Katherine looked down at her feet. Of course, her father hadn’t lied to her before. There were ruffians and thugs, and poison ivy, but if she could just prove to him… but how was she supposed to know he wasn’t telling the truth? 

“Katherine, that’s the way of the world. People find the tiniest ray of sunlight, and they wish to snuff it out for personal gain.”

“But Father—“

“This is further proof that you shouldn’t be allowed out.” He said, his cloak sweeping after him as he walked around Katherine, like a wild dog circling its prey. “Why would they like you, come on now, really.” He lifted a lock of hair in front of her eyes. “Look at this— do you think that they’re impressed? You’re nothing to them but a burden. Don’t be a dunce, Katherine. Come home with me, and—“

“No!” She burst out, tears in her eyes. Her father whirled on her, and she cowered, holding onto her hair as if it was a lifeline. 

“No?” He said, raising an eyebrow. “I have given you everything. I have kept you safe, I have made you a home, treated you as my own. And this is how you repay me?” He stepped closer. “No, because Katherine knows best. So mature, so grown up, so clever. She can write well, so she thinks she can survive on her own. Fine, if you really believe in them— if you truly think they’re your friends, give this to them!” He brandished the satchel in her face. “Put them to the test.”

“How did you—“

“Trust me, dear, he’ll leave you in an instant. They both will, without even a glance back. And when you come crying to me that they’re both liars, I won’t say I told you so!” He tossed the bag at her feet, the crown sliding out.

With a swish of his cloak, Katherine’s father disappeared into the mist, as if by magic, leaving Katherine with nothing but a satchel, a crown, and her own thoughts. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i’m in quarantine and i forgot that i’m supposed to post this weekly so you can have two chapters, as a treat. 
> 
> stay safe, and stay wonderful, loves!!
> 
> ~percy


	9. fuck.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> davey has a gay panic, jack fucks up, and katherine has a realization

As soon as Jack disappeared into the woods, he was starting to regret not staying with Katherine. He had a sick feeling in his stomach, but he didn’t turn around. Jack found Davey a little while later, collecting firewood and mumbling to himself. At least he hadn’t taken off, off to report Jack to the guards. Jack crept closer, trying to overhear him. 

“...you’re so stupid. Why would you fall for him, of all people? The thief you’re supposed to be bringing back to the castle. And you quit! What will your father say now? Oh, god, Sarah and Les, they won’t— they won’t have food, I abandoned my post, how am I supposed to take care of them? I can’t just say, sorry! I was off with a girl with magic hair and a wanted thief, and I didn’t leave for so many stupid reasons!” His words were punctuated by him clattering sticks together, slashing them down from the trees with his stolen sword. 

Jack leaned against a tree, before speaking up. “Hey, I think that poor branch is dead now. Ya don’t gotta keep slashing at it.”

Davey whirled around, his cheeks red. “How— how long have you—“

“Not very long.” Jack said, hopping down from the little ledge he was on, heading over to collect sticks from by Davey’s feet. “So, who’re Sarah and Les?” He said casually, before Davey knelt down next to him.

“My siblings. Sarah’s my twin, and Les is my little brother.” He figured that was the least he owed him, with his backstory. He wondered if he’d ever seen him before, but the orphan kids didn’t go to school, usually. He hesitated. “I got a job to take care of them. My dad got injured, so he couldn’t work, so I had to find work. The palace guard position was open, and it was easy, they said. Just protect this crown, and all will be fine.”

Jack winced, picking up another stick. “And then I came along.” He said, and Davey snorted. 

“Yeah, you stole the crown, and I was stupid enough not to notice. And since it was my fault it was stolen, I was told it was my job to bring it back. And if I did, I’d get the reward for you. Which is enough to feed my family for months.” 

“God, now I know why’s ya hate me.” Jack said, setting his bundle of firewood on the ground as he stood up. 

“I don’t hate you.” Davey blurted out, standing up too. He was taller than Jack, but he knew if he had to, Jack could definitely take him down in a fight. He was awful with his sword. 

Jack gave a cocky grin. “Aw, gee, I’m touched, Daveyboy.” He stepped closer, and Davey had to swallow to make his mouth not feel as dry. “Y’know, you’re cute when you’re flustered.”

Davey’s cheeks went even more red, and he coughed awkwardly. “You— can’t— I can’t— we’re not— sh-shut up, okay?” He stammered, his words coming out in an awkward choke. 

“Make me.” Davey’s back hit the tree he’d been slashing at, and he was gripping his firewood like a lifeline. Jack was so close to him, his eyes shining in the moonlight, and it was almost poetic. Davey’s heart pounded, before it suddenly stopped. Jack was centimeters away, and if he didn’t know any better, Davey would think he was about to kiss him.

Jack made a noise of surprise as Davey pushed him away, stepping away from him as he gathered up his sticks, stammering out something about checking on Katherine and getting back to their fire, before bolting. He couldn’t do this, he couldn’t be interested in a wanted thief, no matter how much he was funny, and attractive, and vulnerable and cocky and— he saw Katherine, standing by their fire, her hair trailing around the clearing. 

Davey swallowed down the urge to cry. Jack didn’t like him. Jack was interested in Katherine, he could see it by the way he looked at her, the concern, the way he always went to protect her instead of him. That was just a mistake. Jack didn’t want to kiss him. 

Then he realized that Katherine didn’t look okay. He walked quietly up to her. He was reminded of the time Sarah had come home, upset because the school had told her that she wasn’t able to take more advanced classes due to her gender. “Katherine?” He said softly, and she whirled around. She looked like she’d been crying, and as soon as she saw it was Davey, she put down her frying pan, sniffling. “What happened?” 

She blinked, before wiping at her eyes. “Sorry, just… lost in thought, I guess.” She gave him an awkward smile, and he set down his firewood, giving her a look of obvious disbelief, but he dropped it. He had enough on his mind. 

They sat in oddly companionable silence, until they heard Jack come out of the woods. “Hey, Kath? Just wonderin, am I gonna get, like, super strength in my hand? Because of the whole magic thing, I’m not gonna lie, that’d be absolutely stupendous.” Jack looked over their campsite, at Davey’s form, curled by the side of the fire, facing the woods, and Katherine, sitting with her knees to her chest, stoking the fire.

He set his own bundle next to Davey’s, before sitting next to Katherine. “Hey.” He said softly, blinking at her. Katherine didn’t look up at him, obviously not wanting to talk. Then he shrugged, as if figuring it was all fine. “I just mean, ‘cause I’ve got superhuman good looks already, might as well get the whole package.” 

Katherine only gave a tired smile, which made Jack sigh. “Alright, alright. You get some rest, I’ll take first watch. You and Davey need sleep more than I do.” He looked over at Davey, who was, seemingly, asleep. Katherine only nodded, moving to the other side of the fire and curling up, making a tiny cocoon with her hair.

After they went to sleep, Jack was left awake, with only a scrap of paper he’d found in Katherine’s bag and a piece of charcoal from the fire, sketching Davey’s sleeping form. And for all his attentiveness, he didn’t hear the trio deep in the woods having a discussion.

Hidden behind a thicket, the Delancey brothers were stopped by the cloaked man before they rushed in to ambush their camp. “Patience, boys.” The man said, hand holding Oscar back. “All good things to those who wait.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am horrifically bad at chapter titles, and i’m using all my brain power on calling my girlfriend right now. 
> 
> “pussy, babes!!” - ren, just now, when asked what she wanted in the end notes of this chapter
> 
> anyways, enjoy this quarantine chap, and stay safe, and stay wonderful, loves!!
> 
> ~percy


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> katherine’s excited, davey is wondering why he feels jealous, and jack really just fucking hates horses.

The sunlight filtered through the trees as Davey woke the other two, not looking at Jack more than he had to. He still either felt like crying or smacking him, or kissing him— he wasn’t sure which. They had a silent breakfast, none of them really wanting to speak, before Jack broke it. “Alright, we’re close to the capital. At this rate, we’ll have plenty of time to spare before we watch the lanterns—“

He was interrupted by a whinny, and a horse burst out of the thicket, headed straight for Jack. “Demon horse! Demon horse!” He scrambled back, but the horse seemed to be on a mission to destroy him. The horse grabbed his boot in his teeth, and Davey and Katherine leapt into action, each grabbing one of his arms. 

Finally, the boot came off, sending them tumbling into a heap. The horse dropped the boot, before coming for them again. Davey stood, recognizing the horse. “Hey, easy, boy.” He said, trying to calm the anxious animal. The horse whinnied at him, looking disgruntled. “C’mon, you’ve gotta calm down. He’s with me, got that?” He gave the horse a sharp look, before he saw Katherine coming up behind him. 

“Look at you, you’re a pretty boy, huh?” Katherine said in a voice that most people used to speak to babies. “You’re so handsome.” She reached out her hand, which held an apple she’d taken from her pack. The horse looked at her, then at the apple, then at Davey, before taking the peace offering. 

“Oh, c’mon! He tried to attack me!” Jack protested, but Davey silenced him with a look. Katherine seemed content to pet the horse’s nose, smiling widely. 

“You’ve been chasing this bad man all over, haven’t you?” The horse’s whinny of agreement was muffled by Jack’s noise of disgust. “But you’re a good horse, aren’t you…” She checked his tag, before reading the word out loud. “Maximus.”

“He’s got a  _ name _ ?” Jack protested, dusting himself off and grabbing his boot. “That horse is the devil, and he’s not coming with us.” 

Katherine gave him wide, pleading brown eyes. “Please, Francis?”

“It’s my horse, and I decide if he comes or goes.” Davey looked at the horse. “And I say he comes with us.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s an easy way to blend in! Bring a horse!” Jack said, throwing his arms up in the air in disbelief. 

“We can say we’re from a circus or something. And blending in is hard when you have a girl with 60 feet of hair.” Davey sighed. “Just— the horse stays. He needs to go back to the palace, anyways.” 

Jack scoffed. “So you’ll take him back, and rat me out for the crown? Nuh-uh, Jacobs.”

Katherine stepped between them, glaring at them. “Both of you, shut up. You’re acting like little kids. Now, I don’t know what happened last night between the two of you—“ Jack and Davey looked away from each other. “But just— keep from killing each other, just for tonight, okay? This is the biggest day of my life, and I need both of you to be alive.” She folded her arms, glaring at both of them. On top of her head, Darcy also glared at them, which was somehow more intimidating. 

“Fine.” Davey muttered, before packing up their camp. “We go into town, and—“ 

He was interrupted by Katherine pushing past him. The bell, signalling the start of the work day, had started clanging in the highest tower of the capital. At least, on any other day, it would be the start of the work day, but today was a city wide holiday. It was the biggest festival of the year, where the kingdom gave everyone a day off, presumably to mourn their missing daughter. 

Katherine was too intrigued by the bell to care much about presentations, so she pushed past Davey, heading towards the city. Jack and Davey looked at each other, but before Jack could say anything, Davey took Maximus by the reins and led him towards the town. 

Crossing the bridge into the capital was like being transported to an entirely different world. Katherine went on ahead, looking extremely out of place in her bright dress and blonde hair trailing behind her, but she didn’t seem to care. She was too awed by everything around her, dragging Jack, Davey, and a disgruntled horse from place to place. Purple banners with the sun motif of the kingdom's crest hung from building to building, along with garlands of flowers. Street vendors hawking their wares called out the names of various foodstuffs and trinkets. 

Katherine winced as people stepped on her hair, but Davey and Jack started collecting it, bundling it in their arms to keep it from getting stepped on. Davey looked around, trying to figure out a way to contain her hair. Maybe he could borrow a wheelbarrow— but Jack had found another solution. A few little girls, the oldest maybe twelve, sat braiding each others hair by the fountain. Jack whistled to get their attention, and held up Katherine’s bundle of hair. The girls immediately lit up, and whisked her away in a swirl of braids and ribbons and flowers. 

Jack and Davey were left standing there, awkward as hell. Davey had draped a garland around Maximus’ neck to cover up the palace crest, which the horse seemed content to chew at. “About last night—“ Jack started, before Davey looked away.

“What about last night?” Davey said coldly, obviously not wanting to talk. 

“You, uh.” Jack looked nervous, which made Davey feel a little bad. “Sorry for comin’ up on you like that. I didn’t know you’d freak out. But… it’s my fault. That you’re in this entire mess. So, uh, if we get out of this…” He trailed off. “You keep the crown. Take it back to the palace. I’ll disappear, and you’ll never have to see me again.”

“What about Katherine?” Davey said, folding his arms. He didn’t say what was really on his mind. What about him? Did Jack really want to leave him that bad? He shoved that away, it wasn’t even a big deal. 

“She’ll go home. Like she wants to.” Jack mumbled, but Davey sighed. 

“Is that really the best idea, do you think?” He said softly, watching as Katherine laughed with the little girls, who squealed in delight. She seemed pleased to be their victim. 

Jack sighed. “Look, Davey—“ But he was cut off by Katherine turning to them in obvious ecstasy. 

“Thank you, so much!” She said to the little girls, kissing them each on the forehead. One of them gave her one last flower, shyly, which Katherine tucked behind her hair. 

“Isn’t it so wonderful?” She said, her eyes shining up at them, before twirling for them. 

Jack grinned, his usual flirty grin, but now that Davey was looking, he thought he saw a little bit of forced happiness behind it. Or maybe that was wishful thinking. “You look radiant, Kath.” He said with a grin. 

Davey stepped ahead of them, before they could flirt more. “Hey, uh. If we… if you’d like, I could take you home to meet my family. We can, uh, get food and I can grab some clothes.” 

Katherine turned to him, and she looked even happier. “Oh, really? I’d love to meet them! Where do you live?”

Davey led them down a few side streets, making sure to avoid the guards’ patrols. However, Katherine kept getting distracted by the festivities, and after a bit of begging, he decided to let her and Jack wander the square. He kept his cap down, trying to avoid eye contact, but it was hard to do. Katherine was so distracted by the dancing in the square with the small band playing that she just had to join in.

Jack looked to Davey, a cocky grin on his face. “Shall we dance?” He held out a hand, which made Davey go pink. 

“Ja—“ He hesitated. He couldn’t call him Jack here, could he? “Francis, is this really the best idea—“ But Jack pulled him into the throng. Every kid who lived in the capital learned this dance from the time they could move to a beat. It was a very synchronised dance, filled with joy and laughter. Davey had read somewhere that it was meant to signify the wonder of new life, but he could never remember, and Jack’s hand in his just confused him more.

The dance swirled around him, and he finally let himself relax— the clapping, the stomping of feet, the swirl of skirts all made sense to him. He was good at this— the kids at school used to tease him for being so good, but he didn’t care. He let himself smile and laugh, and he kept seeing flashes of Jack’s face and Katherine’s, before the final chords struck, and he found himself face to face with Jack, his breath coming hard. 

Cheers erupted around them, before Katherine came up, hand in hand with—

“Sarah?”

“Davey?”

Katherine clapped. “Oh, good, you two know each other!” She said, sounding happy, before Sarah stalked up to Davey, looking upset. 

“You— David Uriah Jacobs, where on earth have you been? Les has been worried sick, not to mention how much Mother’s been freaking out! I thought— I thought you’d disappeared— and the guards were telling us you’d broken the law— and who on earth is this?” She gestured at Jack and Katherine, arms folded. 

“Um— well, Sarah, this is Katherine, and this is, uh, Francis.” He said awkwardly, pointing to the wrong one’s at first, before correcting himself. “And I— I can explain—“ He was cut off by Sarah throwing her arms around him and holding on tightly. 

“Don’t run off like that, you massive idiot.”

Davey awkwardly patted her back. “I’ll tell you everything. Do you, uh, mind if I bring these two home with me? We, uh, we’re going to watch the lanterns.”

Sarah frowned at the two. Katherine gave her a bright wave, while Jack looked between Sarah and Davey with an odd expression on his face. “Fine. We were just going to get dinner, but Les wanted one of those little flags.” She sighed. 

Davey gave a small smile. “I missed you, Sar.” 

Sarah huffed, nudging him. “Don’t get all sappy on me. You know that Mom’s gonna freak out on you.” 

Sarah led them over to their tiny house, which was definitely not big enough for a family with three kids, after wrangling Les from where he was chattering with one of the older girls who had braided Katherine’s hair. After the initial scolding of Davey, the Jacob’s mother welcomed the extra kids into her home, and despite the awkwardness of having to sit next to Jack at dinner and his mother asking if Katherine was his girlfriend, it was a relatively normal time. That is, until they called for those watching the lanterns to head for the boats. 

Davey exchanged glances with Jack and Katherine, before they managed to make their way to the boats. He had to promise his mother in embarrassment that he’d come back and that she shouldn’t worry before she let him go. “It’s just to the boats, Ma. We’ll be back before you know it.”

Sarah showed them to the door, before taking Davey’s sleeve. “David… be careful, okay?” She said softly, when he hung back a little. 

“I’m always careful.” 

Sarah sighed, fixing his tie. “I know. But I don’t want you getting hurt, okay?” She looked over at Katherine and Jack, who were talking and heading for the docks. “Just promise me that whatever happens, you come back to us, got that?” 

Davey nodded, opening his mouth as if wanting to say something, before he followed his companions, trailing Maximus behind him on his lead. 

Once they got to the docks, they were instructed to leave any animals on the dock, and the only free boat could only hold two people anyways, so Davey volunteered to stay. And he was just going to wait for them— it wasn’t like he could leave without the crown. 

So Jack and Katherine pushed off into the calm water, rowing out to the middle of the lake, leaving Davey on the dock with a horse that was happily munching through a bag of apples. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it’s what,, day 7 of quarantine? i’m going insane and i have class in like an hour and i just forgot to do my homework so like fuck me i guess 
> 
> anyways time to go do that hope you enjoyed this chapter because sarah jacobs? queen. Love her.
> 
> stay safe, and stay wonderful, loves!!
> 
> ~ percy


	11. the lights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> katherine is worried, jack is worried times two

The water was still enough to be like a mirror, only broken by Jack’s oar strokes. 

“Where are we going?” Katherine asked, looking back at Jack with a quizzical expression on her face. 

“Well, it’s the best day of your life, ain’t it? I figured you should have a decent seat.” He said, guiding their small boat into deep water, eventually settling them in the middle, far from any of the bigger boats. Above them, the stars twinkled, and the palace broke the starry sky, as if trying to pierce the clouds. 

Katherine wasn’t looking at that, though, she was more focused on the reflections in the water, eyes fixed on the tiny ripples her finger made. 

“You okay?” Jack asked softly, looking over at her. 

Katherine sighed, eyes drifting along the water. “I’m terrified.” She finally said, her voice hushed as if she was afraid that speaking too loudly would capsize their boat. 

“What- why’s you afraid?” Jack seemed confused, looking over at her, eyebrow raised. 

“I’ve been looking out a window for eighteen years. I’ve been dreaming of this day my entire life, and what if… what if it isn’t what I’ve been dreaming of? What if I don’t feel like I think I will when those lights take to the sky?” She sighed again, leaning against the railing, trailing her finger in the water. “What if… what if it falls short?”

“It won’t fall short, it’ll be everything you ever dreamed of.” Jack said certainly. 

Katherine tugged at a lock of loose hair that had fallen partway out of her braid. “And… and what if it is? What then?”

“Then you find a new dream.” Jack’s eyes were fixed on the highest peak of the tower. “That’s the good part. You keep finding new dreams to keep ya goin’.”

Katherine smiled at him, before hesitating. “Francis?” She said softly, and Jack looked over at her, a small smile on his face. “Do you love Davey?” 

Jack’s smile slipped, and he made a small sputtering noise, like he had just been shocked. “I- what- why do you—“

“I’m not completely dumb.” She said with a laugh. “I won’t be mad if you say yes. You flirt with him differently. And you know, the way you two look at each other… it’s like in the books I’ve read.”

Jack swallowed. “We’s really havin’ this conversation right now?” He said, sounding embarrassed. 

“Yes, we is.” Katherine teased with a small laugh. “You act like you hate each other sometimes, but… I know you don’t. And I know he likes you. So why...“

“You really haven’t been outside much, have you?” Jack said with a sigh. “It’s not really, y’know, proper for boys to like each other like that.”

“Well, that’s just stupid. People should love who they want to love!” Katherine said, a bit angrily, which made Jack laugh. 

“You’s sayin’ what I’ve been sayin’ for years.” He said, before his smile faded. “But Davey… he’s something else. And I know I’ve only known him for a little while, but he’s different. I dunno, I’m bad at this kind of thing. I don’t do this whole sappy poetry thing.” He groaned. “And he’s got a family, and I’m a wanted fugitive, so no way it’d work.”

Katherine was about to respond, when a pinprick of light distracted her. The first lantern had been set off into the sky, and Katherine raced to the bow of the boat, making the boat rock back and forth in the water. She clung to the prow, looking out over the water at the light, then the ones that followed it in a wave. The sky looked like it was on fire, the entire city lighting up with yellow and orange and pink lanterns all set off into the air. 

Katherine shivered— not that it was cold, honestly, but she’d never felt like this before. Standing there, watching the lanterns set into the sky, she felt like she was exactly where she was supposed to be. She had friends, she had a place to belong. She was never going back to her tower— Davey’s mother had already invited her back, saying she was a good influence on her son. Something about Davey being too uptight, or something.

But she was certain that she was supposed to be here. The feeling that the lights were meant for her was stronger now. She touched the little purple flag in her pocket, the one Les had given her. 

Jack cleared his throat. “Kath?” She turned around to see him holding two lanterns. “I got three, but I gave the other to Davey, if you wanted to light them and set them off, or, uh, something—“

“Oh- I have something for you too.” She reached down beside her, pulling the satchel up next to her. “I was going to wait, but… you can have it back. I should have given it back earlier, but I was… I was scared. But I’m not scared anymore. We finished our deal. You and Davey can figure out what to do with it.”

Jack looked at it, and Katherine could see his eyes reflecting the lanterns, before he reached out, taking it and setting it behind him. “Thank you.” He said softly. “I’m starting to realize what you mean.” 

And together they set off their lanterns to join the others above them. 

The lanterns finally died down, and Katherine smiled over at Jack. “Thank you. We should go get Davey, right?” She said, before going in for a hug. Jack almost hugged back, but over her shoulder, he noticed an odd green glow on the shore, and two figures. Two all too familiar figures. 

He pulled away, looking worried. Katherine looked at him, before glancing over her shoulder. “Is everything okay, Jack?” But by the time she looked around, the two men had disappeared behind a boulder, leaving only a faint green glow. 

“What— oh, yeah, everything’s fine. I, uh, I just gots to do something first.” Jack stammered out, grabbing the oar, guiding them towards the shore easily. Katherine didn’t question him, even when they ran ashore across the lake from where Davey waited for them. 

Jack grabbed the satchel, swallowing. “Everything’s fine, there’s just something I gots to take care of, alright? I’ll be back in a moment.”

Katherine smiled at him. “Okay, I trust you.” 

Jack nodded, before turning around, disappearing into the fog along the shore. Darcy, settled on Katherine’s shoulder, shifted a bit closer. Katherine sighed, looking over at the chameleon. “It’s alright, Darcy. He’ll be fine.” 

The chameleon did not look convinced.

~~~

Jack’s boots crunched on the rocky beach as he made his way up to Morris Delancey, who was whittling what looked to be a badger out of a piece of driftwood. Although it may have been a bear, he wasn’t too good at whittling. 

“Ah, there you are.” Jack said, his voice sounding nervous. “I’ve been lookin’ everywhere for ya, since we, y’know, got separated. Hey, your sideburns are comin in, you’ve gotta be excited about that.”

The dagger in Morris’ hand flashed, and he looked over at Jack. 

“Anyhow, just wanted to say, uh. Got the crown, thought it over, and you guys can have it. You can take the reward from Pulitzer, no big deal. I know how much ya wants the reward.” He tossed the satchel towards the other, but Morris didn’t even look at it. “Sorry for the split, but it’s for the be-“ He turned to leave, running into the chest of Oscar. 

“Holding out on us again, aren’t you, Kelly.” Morris commented, climbing off of his boulder, coming towards Jack. 

Of course, Jack could usually take them. But he didn’t have the frying pan anymore, and both Oscar and Morris were obviously heavily armed. “What?” He looked between them. He couldn’t get back to Katherine, or Davey, not without taking them down. 

“We heard you found something worth a lot more than a silly crown. Something Pulitzer would like a lot more than some jewel.” Morris kicked the satchel out of his way.

“I don’t know what you’re— you’ve talked to Pulitzer?” Jack looked confused, but he couldn’t back away. Not without cornering himself more. And he’d never get far in the woods.

“Oh, surprised you’re not the favourite, Kelly? Lemme spell it out for you. We want the girl.” 

Jack shook his head. “You can’t have her!”

“Aw, how touching. We wasn’t asking for your permission, Kelly.” Oscar said, and he brought the hilt of his sword down, making Jack crumple without a noise.

~~~

Katherine sat by the boat, waiting for Jack to come back. He’d been gone for a while, where on earth could he be? She heard approaching footsteps and looked up, smiling when she saw the figure. “Oh, good. I thought you’d run off with the crown and left me—“

Then the shadows split, showing that it was two figures rather than one, two malicious men who were obviously not Jack. “Oh, he did.” 

“What?” Katherine said quickly, stepping back. “No, he wouldn’t—“ 

But the man on her left only swept his hand towards the boat that had set off, and squinting in the fog, Katherine could make out the figure of Jack, the moonlight glinting off the crown in his hand. “He made a fair trade. The crown— for the girl with the magic hair.” 

Katherine whirled, wishing she’d brought her frying pan with her, but there was no use. 

“How much do you think they’ll pay for this, Oscar?” The one said, an evil grin on his face. 

The other leered at Katherine, stepping closer. “The chance to stay young and healthy forever? They’d pay a fortune.” Katherine backed up, the hem of her dress getting soaked in the water behind her. Just yesterday, she was so intrigued by water and the river by her tower. Had it really only been a day?

“No, please, you can’t—“ She protested, eyes panicked as the one brought out a sack. She tried to fight, pushing and shoving at them, but she was too weak. She raced away, breaking free from their grabbing hands, her feet scrambling for purchase on the stony ground. Her hair caught on a fallen branch, and she tried pulling it off, petals coming off in her hands. 

Then there came two rapid thuds, and a few grunts. Her heart soared. Jack had come back for her, she knew they were lying. But the voice that called her name wasn’t his. 

“Father?” Katherine said desperately, untangling her hair and rounding the corner to see her father standing over the two men, holding a piece of driftwood. 

“My child, you’re unharmed?” He said, and Katherine couldn’t tell if he was acting or not. He hadn’t shown this much compassion in ages. But he seemed genuine enough. “Are you alright? Are you hurt?”

“Father, how did you—“ Katherine swallowed back the urge to cry. 

“I was so worried for you, so I followed you. I saw what these horrible men did to you, and I had to protect you.” He said, looking over her, as if checking for injuries. “Let’s go, dear, before they come to their senses.” Katherine hesitated to follow, looking back at the ship. But Jack was gone. He’d betrayed her, he’d betrayed both her and Davey. He didn’t deserve a second look. But she couldn’t help it.

She let her father take her hand and draw her away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it’s the light scene!! now i actually will have to rewrite most of the next chapter bc it sucked the last time
> 
> please leave a comment if you’re enjoying this so far!!! 
> 
> stay safe, and stay wonderful, loves!!
> 
> ~ percy


	12. jailbreak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> katherine has a realization, davey’s a master planner, and jack is just kind of blindly following his instincts. (his instincts happen to be named davey.)

The ship ran aground across the lake, bumping against the docks a few yards down from where Davey and Maximus were just about to head home. They hadn’t come back for them, so he may as well. But the noise made Davey look up to see— Jack, at the helm of the ship. For a moment, Davey was angry. He could see the crown, and Jack, and no Katherine. That foul traitor— but then he realized that Jack was tied to the helm. 

He panicked, intending to race towards him, but the guards had noticed him first. Davey had to watch in horror as the guards stormed the ship, hauling Jack away. He heard him call his name, and Katherine’s, in such a tone of desperation that it felt like a sucker punch to the gut. 

Davey turned to Maximus, taking his reins. “Max, we’ve got to go.” He said, voice quiet and shaky. The horse tilted his head at him, before seemingly agreeing, letting Davey leap onto his saddle. Davey took one last look back at the castle, before Jack’s last cry of “Davey!” spurred him on and he took off into the woods. 

~~~

The final flower dropped into the basket, leaving Katherine’s hair as long and plain as it usually was. “There.” Her father said softly, patting her head in his patronizing manner. “Never happened, and we can just forget about this little deviation, right?” He stood, picking up the basket. “I’ll take these out, and I’ll make you hazelnut soup. That is your favourite.” 

Katherine didn’t respond. She was staring at her clasped hands, not looking up at her father. He sighed, looking at her with his familiar air of detached affection. “That’s how the world works, darling. It is cold, and dark, and cruel. If anyone finds the slightest bit of sunlight, they destroy it.” He shut the curtain to her room, leaving her alone. 

Katherine unfolded her hands, the crumpled purple flag from Les sitting there. He was such a cute little kid— louder than his older brother, but just from the hour or so spent at their house, Katherine could tell they loved each other. She’d always wanted a little brother, or a little sister, but her father never let her indulge in such fantasies. 

But Les had given her the flag. 

_ “I want you to have it.” The flag, held out in one little hand, a bright grin peeking out from under the too-big hat shining up at her, looked expensive.  _

_ “What- but, why—“ Katherine blinked, looking at Davey, then— no, even in a flashback she couldn’t imagine his face— then Sarah.  _

_ “It’s for the lost princess.” He said, as if it was obvious. “And you’re not from around here. Maybe if you take it with you, you can find her and bring her back.”  _

Bring her back. Katherine had felt an odd twinge in her stomach with the idea, but now…

Her head felt like it was spinning. The purple flag, the poorly drawn sketches she’d drawn as a little kid of the yellow sun, the feeling that she belonged in the city, the words that had been stuck in her brain for as long as she’d known, the flashes of faces she could think of when she was a child. It all fit together, like the mosaic of the royal family in the town square. 

She stood, almost in a stupor, pushing back the curtain of her door. Her father was halfway down the stairs when she followed him, pausing at the top. 

He turned when he heard the footsteps, looking curiously at her as she stood there, arm holding the curtain back. 

“I’m the lost princess.” She said, as if she was just admitting it to herself. And honestly, she was. Because if she was the lost princess, then that meant that her father… wasn’t her father.

“Do speak up, child, you know how I feel when I can’t understand you. All that stuttering and mumbling and rambling.” He said exasperatedly. She hated that. She wasn’t ten years old anymore, she was eighteen, she had seen the world and he still treated her like a baby.

“I’m the lost princess.” Katherine’s eyes flashed as she stepped forwards, letting the curtain drop into the doorway. She got a sick sense of pleasure from the momentary panic in his eyes. “Did I  _ fucking  _ stutter, Father?” She spat. “Or can I even call you that?” 

“Katherine, really—“ 

“It was you! It was you all this time!” She burst out, stepping closer. “All this time, I’ve hidden in this tower from people who would use me for my hair, for people who would take advantage of its power, of me, but I should have been hiding from you!” She threw the tiny purple flag at him, but it fluttered harmlessly down to the stairs, crumpled in a heap. 

“Katherine, I will not tolerate this nonsense.” He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and taking a breath. “This is exactly why you shouldn’t have gone outside—“

“You said a good writer always tries to find the truth. Well, I found it, and I’m not going to let you lie to me anymore! I am the lost princess, aren’t I? It all makes sense. We look nothing alike, and you’ve never told me anything about my mother. Because you never knew her, did you? You just wanted to lock me away so— what? So you could stay young forever?” She pushed her way down the stairs past him, fuming. She started to grab food and clothes.

“Where will you go?” He said, sounding more maniacal than Katherine had ever heard him. “That thief boy is to be hung for his crimes. And the palace guard, well… after the betrayal of Jack, why would he have any reason to trust you? You know he liked the other boy better.” 

“He’s- He’s my friend! And Jack would never betray us like that.”

“Oh, did he confess his love for you? How sweet, but you know what boys like him are like.” 

Katherine had to resist the urge to laugh, an odd, strained, anxious noise bubbling in her throat. Oh, if only he knew. “No. He wouldn’t. But he cared!”

“About the crown, Katherine! Not about you!” His hands hit the table, sending the apple bowl up a good half inch with force as he burst out. 

“You’re wrong about him!” But Katherine wasn’t sure. Maybe he was just using her… no. The man she thought was her father had lied to her time and time again. Jack had never lied once, even when he should have. He hadn’t said some things, but that wasn’t lying. She knew where her loyalties lied. 

“The petty thief with the tragic backstory? No, of course I’m not. He’s just using his sad sob story to get you to trust him. That’s how everything works.” He hissed. “Fine, you so desperately want him to be a hero? Every good story needs a bad guy, doesn’t it?” He stepped closer to her, and she shrunk back, clutching at the bag. “Now I’m the bad guy.” 

~~~

Jack Kelly was to be hung for his crimes. They’d come and gotten him just after the sun was up, and he was too numb to even crack a joke about it being too early. He didn’t know what to do. Katherine probably hated him. She would have been abandoned on the shore— maybe her and Davey had found each other. They could start a Jack Kelly hate club. He could lead them from beyond the grave.

The guards shoved him roughly down the passageway, and Jack didn’t even protest, he just let himself be pushed along. In his periphery, he noticed a familiar face. Two of them, in fact. 

The Delancey’s. Katherine wasn’t with them. 

The one guard leaned forwards to fix his shackles. “Hey, so you’re a thief, right? And good thieves can get out of shackles easily.” The voice was quiet, but Jack recognized it. Davey was there, Davey was taking him to his death. How ironic. 

“I ain’t a good thief. I can’t even—“ He stopped, feeling the pressure lighten on his wrist with a tiny click.

“I’ll tell you a secret. I ain’t a good guard. My prisoners always mysteriously get out of their bonds.” God, Jack could hear the smug grin on his face. The shackles pulled away, and Jack sprung into action, stealing Davey’s sword from his sheath and slamming the hilt into the other guard’s gut before tossing it back to Davey. “Thanks, Davey-dear.” He said with a grin, before whirling on the Delancey’s, tugging the one up by his shirt. Oscar. “How’d you know about Kath?” He demanded.

“It weren’t us! I told you, it was the old dude. Said he was Pulitzer, and that he’d give us a reward if we brought her back.” Oscar said, his voice slightly muffled by the bars of his cell. “Somethin’ about it being a matter of the family and such.”

Jack dropped his shirt like he’d been burned, stepping back. “You gots to be joking. If this is a joke, I swear I’ll get in there and—“ 

A hand on his shoulder stopped him. “Jack, we gotta go. I’m risking my life just being here, and the guards will be—“ Davey was cut off by a small shout from down the passage. “Les. If everything goes according to plan…” 

“There’s a  _ plan? _ ” Jack said, incredulous. “I was here for, like, three hours, and you managed to get your little brother in on a plan?”

“He really looks up to you.” Davey said, before pulling him along. “And yes, I did, and not just him, but we’ve got to go!” 

The pounding footsteps were approaching, and Jack took that as his cue to run. Davey pushed him down a different hallway. “Take this corridor, then a left, and second right. You’ll know where.” 

“Where’re you going?”

“I’ve got to get the next part of the plan done. You’ll see me again soon.” Davey looked determined, but his eyes shone, like the time he’d managed to figure out how to carry water with them, or when he’d started a fire, or when he was planning their next route. The little proud gleam in his eye that told Jack that he had hatched a great plan was there, and it made him feel better. 

Jack grabbed his collar, pulling him down and looking in his eyes. “Don’t be lying to me, Jacobs. Come back to me.” 

Davey made a tiny strangled noise, his cheeks red. “W-Will do, sir.” He said, voice a bit strained, even with the joke. “I’ve really got to go now.” He pulled away, before turning and taking off down the corridor, leaving Jack to try and remember his directions. He screeched to a halt outside a locked door just as the guards caught up to him. 

Had Davey really abandoned him to be caught again? He looked around frantically, before he saw a tiny puppet in an alcove. A little finger one, like the ones Finch had made. And he grinned wickedly. 

Well, it may also have been because that, while one of the guards was giving him some talk about his rights, he saw a small striped figure leading two other figures up behind the guards. One of them barely had time to shout before they were taken down. There was a minor scuffle, before Jack looked up to identify his rescuers.

Spot Conlon led a tiny ragtag team, consisting of Specs, Sarah Jacobs, and Albert, all armed with cast iron frying pans of varying sizes. “Frying pans! Who knew, right?”

Spot turned his pan to hold out the handle to the taller boy, and Jack took it. 

“I knew you cared about me, Spotty.” Jack said with a grin.

“Nah, I don’t. I was told you could rescue Katherine. And your boyfriend’s got a way with the words, he’s like a walkin’ mouth. So me and the boys came to bust you out. And she insisted on tagging along.” Spot jerked his thumb at Sarah. “Somethin’ about a pretty g—“

Sarah shot him a glare, which made him shut up. 

Jack raised his eyebrows, but Spot moved on. “Alright, Kelly, you gotta go through that door, and then keep going straight until y’ hit the opening. Someone’ll be waiting there for ya. We’ll be right behind ya until ya get there.

So Jack turned to the locked door, and the little door slid back, to reveal a bored face. “What the password?” 

“Race, open the door.”

“Nope, that ain’t it.”

“Didya forget we’s in a hurry, jackass?”

“Not even close!”

“Racetrack Higgins, I love you, but open this goddamn door or I’ll bash your brains in.” 

Race blinked at him, his cheeks colouring red, but the door swung open. Just in time, as well, as more guards were heading their way, swords unsheathed. As the door closed behind them, Jack glanced back to see a group of disheveled boys tossing rock-hard biscuits at the men. Even a few cupcakes as well, which was interesting.

He didn’t have much time to think, as he burst into an open atrium, with walls all around and what looked like the entire palace guard making their way towards them in a sea of red and gold. He cursed, but as he skidded to a halt, he recognized the boy who held a broom. Well, it looked like a broom, but if you looked long enough, you could tell that the broom’s handle looked more like… 

“Crutchie, that you?” Jack said, incredulous. How had Davey managed to find his childhood best friend for a rescue mission? That boy was magical.

Jack’s rescuers fanned out around him, Spot wielding dual frying pans, Sarah looking deadly with a sword she’d taken from a fallen guard, and Specs and Albert both holding out their own pans towards the guards approaching. 

Crutchie gave him a smile— the one Miss Medda at the orphanage said spread as smooth as butter. “The one and only. We don’t got time, we can talk later. And we are gonna talk later,  _ Jack Kelly. _ ” He said insistently, and Jack suddenly realized how it felt to be glared at by a mother when he’d fucked up. “Stand there.” 

He gestured at an odd looking cart, and Jack did as told, for once. Crutchie always had good judgement. Well, usually. Crutchie nodded at him. “Head down.” 

“Head down.” 

“Arms in.”

“Arms in.” 

“Knees apart.”

“Knees a- wait, why do I need to keep my knees apar—“

Jack’s words were cut off as a group of boys, all clinging to each other, dropped down from an upper balcony, whooping with excitement. They crashed down on the other side of the cart, sending Jack flying into the air with a very unattractive scream.

He did his best to keep his body like Crutchie had instructed, but he had barely any time to think about it until he crashed down, heavily, in a saddle on a very familiar horse, behind a very familiar boy. 

“You— brought them here to rescue me?” Jack said, sounding impressed. Davey looked back at him. He looked almost embarrassed. 

“Well, uh, technically, half of them are definitely here to rescue Katherine, but… yeah?” He muttered, his hands twisting Maximus’ reins around and around his palms. 

“God, this is why I lo-“

Jack’s words were cut off by a shout, and they both looked over to the right to see a swarm of guards, racing towards them. Behind them, more guards, but Davey spurred Maximus into a run, straight towards the edge of the battlements.

“Davey.” Jack said, his voice oddly calm. “If you’s gonna jump this horse over the fucking edge—“

And then Davey jumped that horse over the fucking edge. There was a moment of weightlessness, and all the sounds around them seemed somehow muffled. It was almost idyllic, seeing the capital from above during sunrise. Then they crashed down onto the roof of the inn across from the battlements, sending shingles breaking and skittering down the roof. 

“Davey Jacobs, you’s is absolutely insane!” Jack shouted, mostly to be heard over the shouting of the guards. 

“I like to think it’s part of my charm!” Davey called back, before clearing his throat. “Hold on.”

Jack hesitated only for a second before wrapping his arms around Davey’s waist. Maximus didn’t seem too thrilled, but he did, apparently, have survival instincts, as he let Davey leap him over the square. Jack did get clotheslined by a string of purple flags, but he shook it off. They clattered down onto the cobblestones and Maximus barely needed direction.

Neither of them dared to speak. As soon as they broke into the woods, they were both too focused on the confrontation to come to worry about coming to any agreement. 

Then they broke through the ivy curtain. The tower rose, as idyllic and picturesque as ever, but it looked dark and cold and empty. What if they were too late? Davey and Jack exchanged glances, before nodding. They understood, without even having to speak. Davey tied Maximus up outside, and Jack ran up the hill to the base of the tower.

“Katherine!” He shouted, praying he could be heard all the way up. “Katherine, let down your hair. 

Silence. There was nothing, they were too late, Katherine was gone or dead and they were too late to stop her father— 

Then the comforting sight of golden hair being tossed from a window calmed Jack, for only a moment. They still had time! They could rescue her. Davey appeared behind Jack, and nodded at him. Jack found it hard to believe that it had barely been a few days since the last time they’d climbed this tower together. 

Jack started to climb, hands rappelling up the rope as he braced his feet against the wall. It was a lot faster than the last time he’d done it, and he made it up to the windowsill, pulling himself up. “Kath, I’m here to—“

His mouth went dry as he saw her, eyes pleading and warning. Katherine was chained and gagged to the wall, and she was trying to warn him. Of what?

Then he felt the dagger sink into his gut, and he collapsed, grasping at the wound. He made a small gasping grunt, trying to process anything but pain and Davey and Katherine. Davey was still safe. Or, as safe as one could be when dangling on a length of golden hair outside a window, above a 60 foot drop. 

Pulitzer kicked him over, and he rolled onto his back, coughing harshly. He barely processed Katherine’s muffled screaming. 

“Hello there, Jack Kelly.” He said with a smirk. “Thanks for bringing me my daughter back. I really do appreciate it.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this chapter is long as fuck but its a fun time the whole way along so. hope y’all enjoyed it!! 
> 
> leave me a comment if you want to see more of this, i’ll be posting it more often probably. because it’s not like i have anything else to do with my life. 
> 
> anyways, stay safe, and stay wonderful, loves!!
> 
> ~ percy


	13. the dreamer has dreamed her dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> they’re all fucked up and traumatized after this i ain’t even gonna be funny   
> title is from black friday by starkid watch it it slaps

The click of the boots over the wood floor was all that could be heard for a moment. “Now look what you’ve done, Katherine.” Pulitzer said, nonchalantly wiping the blood from the dagger with a handkerchief, as if it was nothing more than jam. “Well, at least now, our secret will die with him.” 

Katherine made another muffled noise, trying to break towards Jack, who was trying to push himself to his hands and knees, with very limited success. Pulitzer walked towards her with purpose, and silently, through the window, Davey crawled in. He barely had the time to duck behind a large mirror in the corner before the man turned around, pulling on the chain that trailed from a hook on the wall to Katherine’s wrists. She stared wide-eyed in his direction for a moment, before understanding. 

Pulitzer didn’t seem to notice, more concerned about the tiny tug at his pant hem. Darcy, in his brave way, was tugging at his leg, trying to pull him back. The tiny chameleon went flying with a swift kick from Pulitzer, and the mirror fell to the floor, shattering. If Pulitzer had been looking, he would have noticed a cloak in an oddly human shape, or the twinkle of an eye, but he was focused on the way Katherine was trying to break free to get to Jack. “Stop- fighting- me!” He said, between harsh tugs. 

The gag slipped from Katherine’s mouth, and she was left panting, scrabbling her feet for purchase so she couldn’t be pulled back into the hatch in the floor. God, why did she have to wax the floors daily? “No!” She burst out, her voice shaky and weak. “I won’t stop. For every minute, for the rest of my life, I will fight you. I’ll never stop. But if you— if you just let me heal him, it’ll all be okay.” 

Katherine didn’t pay attention to the two soft ‘no’s she heard, one more desperate than the last. She didn’t even see Darcy in the corner, a bit battered, hang his head. “I’ll go with you, and I won’t fight, I won’t argue, I won’t try to escape. It will be like it was, like old times! Just please. Let me heal him.” 

Pulitzer’s steely gaze fixed on Katherine, contemplating, before there was a click of a key in a lock. Katherine was free, and she rubbed at her wrists, contemplating running. The man only transferred the shackles to Jack, though, who only gave a small wet cough, blood spattering his lip. “Just in case you try to follow us.” 

Katherine was there in a flash. “Francis! Oh my god, Francis, it’s gonna be okay—“ She said, frantically. Gently, she reached down, pulling his hand away from his vest. It was slick with dark blood, and she winced. “Okay, okay, just breathe.” She said, immediately grabbing for her hair, trying to press it to the wound. Jack’s hand weakly tried to push her away. 

“Let me heal you, you idiot!” She pleaded, but her voice broke with the reprimand. “If- I can do this, and you can— you can be okay. It’ll all be okay, you’re not gonna die!” 

“If-“ Jack coughed harshly again, entire body spasming. “If you do this, then you will— you will die.” 

Katherine’s face fell, her eyes blurred with tears. What was she supposed to say to that? She just softly said, “Hey. It’s gonna be okay.” 

“Kath—“ Jack breathed out. “I never told him.” He took a shuddering breath. “I never told him I— I loved him, and now I’m never gonna. I can’t let you save me too.” 

“You have to, Francis, just please— let me heal you, for him!” Katherine pleaded. 

“Ha— he’s prob’ly already come up with a plan.” Jack coughed out, before he reached up, brushing Katherine’s hair away from her eyes, running his hand through it. “And that’s why I hate to do this, it’s gonna ruin it totally.” 

And then, with a single swipe of a mirror shard, Jack sliced through Katherine’s hair. His hand fell with a sort of finality to it, the glass shard skittering across the floor. 

All hell broke loose. 

Pulitzer gave a yell of panic, which harmonized oddly with Davey’s cry of Jack’s name. The man tried to pick up the hair before it all faded, but the dark brown seemed to drip down it like dye, all the bright blonde dulling and washing away. The hands clutching at the locks grew frailer and frailer, the colour of his skin fading to a pallid grey. His hair turned white with age, and he screamed, but his lungs were failing. It was almost like watching a deflated balloon, with the way his skin hung off his bones. 

Pulitzer caught his reflection in the mirror shards scattered across the floor, stumbling back from it like it was the plague. For a moment, Davey wondered how old he was, but then Pulitzer covered his face with his cloak, letting out an inhuman wail. Davey caught sight of the tiny green chameleon tugging on the brown hair on the floor, and he got the plan.

Just as Pulitzer stepped back, the hair was pulled taut, forming a kind of rope step, which he ran into. And, with a great cry of panic, the remains of Pulitzer toppled out the window. Davey looked over the balcony, but all that had fallen to the ground was the man’s black cloak and a cloud of dust wafting away in the summer breeze.

Then he heard a cough, and he whirled, racing to Jack’s side. “Kath, heal him!” He was surprised by his own choked voice, and he took the boy’s hand. He didn’t even care if it was slick with blood, he just wanted him to know he was there. 

“I- I tried, but I can’t— I can’t do it! He cut my hair, Davey, I can’t—“ 

Davey turned to Jack, but the boy’s face was blurry. Blinking, it sharpened for a moment, before blurring again. “Y-You stupid, noble idiot, did you— did you e-even think about y-your stupid plan?” He burst out, feeling tears down his face. 

Jack gave him a roguish grin, but it seemed pained. “Ya know, ya never told me ya dream.” His accent was even thicker when he was in pain, like he couldn’t be bothered to even try. 

“It- it didn’t matter. Not that one.” Davey swallowed, hard. “P-Please, Francis, you gotta— you gotta stay alive for me.” 

“David.” His voice was weak, and Davey was struck with the realization that he’d never called him by his real name before. It was always Davey, or some ridiculous, outrageous nickname. “You- you were my new dream.” 

There was a gross sobbing noise, and Davey was surprised to find it was coming from him. “And- and you were mine.” He mumbled.

And with that, Jack Kelly’s eyes closed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the most emotional shit in this entire fic i bet half of y’all cried. i’m gonna ruin you with the next chapter too. then after that, two more less angsty chapters. also!! leave comments, i thrive off of them. (stan darcy the chameleon.) 
> 
> anyways!! fuck pulitzer, he can commit tower fall.
> 
> stay safe, and stay wonderful, loves!! 
> 
> ~percy


	14. hush hush hush, blush blush bl— * i am shot *

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> jack’s deceased, katherine’s panicky, and davey just wants to forget everything.

Davey had seen people die. He’d expected a person like Jack Kelly to die in the most dramatic way possible— leaping over a chasm, riding a horse over a ledge, getting killed in a duel with someone. Not like this, from a stab wound in a tower in the middle of nowhere.

He couldn’t even say anything, he just went into shutdown mode. Jack was dead. He was gone. And they’d never even gotten to kiss. He’d never told him that he cared about him, never let him know how he felt about him. He’d been a coward, and this was his karma. 

Davey stumbled over the broken mirror shards, collapsing heavily against the wall. He should be comforting Katherine, he knew, but she held Jack’s head in her lap, tears streaking down her cheeks. Might as well leave the two of them alone. Katherine was still trying to sing the little tune, her voice choked with emotion. 

Katherine bent her head down, pressing her lips to Jack’s forehead, and Davey had to look away. Maybe, if he just looked anywhere else, Jack would open his eyes, it was all some sick joke. But he knew it wasn’t.

There was slight pressure on his foot, and he looked down to see Darcy, curling up against his ankle comfortingly. 

Then something else curled around his ankle. A tendril of yellow light, and then another, and another, and another. He brushed his tears away, eyes wide. Then he looked up to Katherine, who was staring at Jack’s wound. 

A blossom of beautiful golden light bloomed from the spot, reaching out long, twining arms of the same light like vines. Katherine’s newly shorn hair lifted in the pure crackling energy, and even Davey’s hair stood on end. “Kath—“

The light filled the whole room, a sunburst exploding from Jack’s gut. Which sounded remarkably less poetic than it should, Davey thought, even as he stumbled towards the other boy, dropping to his knees next to him.

The glow faded, the tower going dark in comparison. And then, Jack’s eyelids fluttered open, his eyes unfocused at first, before they locked on Davey. “Dave?” He said, his voice hoarse, and Davey shifted closer, feeling like grinning and crying. 

“Francis.” He said, before breaking into a teary eyed grin. 

“Did I ever tell ya, I got a thing for brunettes?”

Davey’s heart sunk. “Oh, yeah, I should— leave you to it—“ He said, feeling like he’d just been punched in the gut. Katherine had saved him, so of course he’d like her. Why would Jack like him? It was so stupid to even think that. 

“Shut your mouth, David Jacobs, and get down here and kiss me. I just fuckin’ died, cut me some slack.”

Davey did as he was told for once, although he didn’t have all that much choice, since Jack tugged him down by his collar. At first, Davey was hesitant and awkward, but he relaxed into it. It felt right, Jack’s hand in his hair and the little jump in his gut and the other’s lips against his.

A noise interrupted them, and Davey broke the kiss, his entire face flushed. “While I’m loving the fact that you finally kissed after dancing around each other like idiots, can I say hi to my best friend, since he was just  _ dead _ ?” 

Both Davey and Jack had the grace to look abashed, pulling away from each other. Davey tried his best to fix his hair, but Jack’s hands had already done their damage. As soon as Davey had pulled away, Katherine tackled Jack in a hug.

“Don’t ever do that again.” She mumbled, as Jack wrapped an arm around her waist.

“Aw, I thoughtcha hated me, Kath.” Jack said, still wheezing a bit, a grin on his face. He went to rest his chin on her head, but he stopped short. “Dave, she’s a ginge.”

“You— what?”

“Davey, you’s colourblind, our Kath’s a ginge. You thought she was a brunette?” 

“She is so not! Her hair’s brown!” 

“Can I decide my own hair colour?” Katherine huffed, pulling out of the hug, before looking at her new hair. It was maybe longer than her shoulders, and it was already starting to curl up. “Oh my god.” Her eyes were wide. “My head feels so light, it’s like I just suddenly lost weight.”

“I mean, did ya see that mop?”

“Excuse you, I think that mop saved your life, Francis.”

Davey looked at the long winding hair on the floor. He didn’t know what to think. Had he killed someone? Sure, Pulitzer was a lying asshole that didn’t deserve to be given the time of day, but he hadn’t wanted him dead. Not really. Was it his fault? 

“Dave.” Jack’s voice finally broke through his train of thought, and Davey looked up to see him holding out a hand. “Youse okay?” 

“I’m not the one who almost died.” Davey said with a tiny smile, taking his hand and letting himself be pulled up. “Of course I’m okay.” 

Jack looked skeptical, but he let it slide, not letting go of Davey’s hand. His fingers intertwined with Davey’s, and he pulled him along. “Kath’s packing up her things to get out of here. We’s gonna have to find a place for her to stay for a bit. Wanna raid her dad’s office?” 

It was easy to find it. It was the only place with a locked door in the entire tower, which Jack made quick work of, after borrowing a pin from Katherine. They pushed it open, and they started looking through the many papers. Davey had to help Jack with the larger words, but they found a lot of important information. Katherine slipped inside a little while later, a bag of dresses with her and a box of papers, including her ink and pen. They all sat down to read. 

There was a period of time where Jack got pissed at Katherine, since her “dad” was Pulitzer, the egomaniacal leader of a gang of thieves, but Davey smoothed it over, somehow. And then they found the real letter. 

It was from a woman who was working in the palace— a maid of sorts, from what they could tell, huddled around the letter as Davey read aloud about the new baby princess, with her magic golden hair. 

There was silence when the letter finished. 

“So it’s true.” Katherine said softly, staring at the letter. “I really am the lost princess. I thought… I thought it was just a coincidence.” 

“You thought that you having magic hair and the princess having magic hair was a coincidence?” Jack sounded sarcastic.

“How was I supposed to know that isn’t a normal thing? I lived in a tower my whole life!” Katherine protested, smacking the back of Jack’s head with a rolled up paper. Jack rolled up his own paper, and it looked like they were liable to get into a fight. 

Davey groaned. “Girls, girls, you’re both pretty. Can we go home now?”

With a grin, Jack poked his cheek. “Yeah, of course, before I get stabbed again.”

Davey winced, pushing his hand away, cheeks flushed. “Don’t joke about that.” 

“What? I don’t mind.”

“Well, I do.” Davey muttered, before standing up. “We should figure out a way down. We don’t want the royal family missing their daughter any longer.” 

They easily found the hatch down to the ground, emerging at the base of the tower. Jack and Davey had to force the door open, but it worked, almost exploding with a shower of rubble. Maximus, from where he was grazing, only looked up at them, as if they were the least interesting things ever. 

Then there was the issue of who was riding Maximus. Jack insisted Davey and Katherine ride (“I was just healed, I feel great!”), Katherine insisted that Davey and Jack (“I was chained up, I need to stretch my legs.”) and Davey insisted Jack and Katherine (“You were just  _ dead _ and you’re probably traumatized, just get on the goddamn horse.”) 

Davey won, and it ended up with Davey leading Maximus out of the clearing, Jack and Katherine on his back. Katherine was already slumped against Jack’s back, fast asleep. 

“You doin’ okay?” Jack asked, his voice low so as not to wake the girl. 

“Of course I’m okay, Jack, I’m not the one that died.” Davey mumbled, looking ahead. He couldn’t get the feeling of his kiss out of his head. 

“No, but youse the one that knocked a guy outta the window.” Jack said, deadpan, and Davey winced. “That’s gotta be traumatizin’.” 

“Big word.” Davey teased, but his joke fell flat. He let out a sigh. “It’s just… it’s been a long day. The sooner we get back to the palace, the better.” He glanced at Katherine. “Do you really think she’ll be okay?”

“O’ course she’ll be okay.” Jack said, more for Davey’s benefit than his own. “She’s Kath. She’s gone through so much, and she’s still our same Katherine. She could talk her way out of jail if she tried.” He sighed, looking over at Davey. 

“Unlike a certain thief we know.” Davey teased, trying to lighten the mood.

“Ay, I thought you guys hated me! I was resigned to my fate!” Jack huffed defensively, and Davey was pretty sure he would have punched his shoulder if he hadn’t been worried about waking Katherine. 

“Yeah, yeah, cowboy.” Davey said with a small laugh, before sighing. “Do you… want to come to my place?” He went pink. “I mean, just to have a place to stay for a while. I’m sure that bringing back the princess will get you pardoned or something, but just in case you need a place to crash…” 

Jack was staring at him, mouth open. “Davey darling. You don’t gots to make excuses. I’d… I’d like that.” 

“I like you.” Davey blurted out, before coughing awkwardly. “I- I mean—“ 

“I like you too, Davey.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so close to the end!!! we’re one real chapter away, and then the epilogue and it’s all up!!
> 
> hope y’all are having fun with this fic, and that i didn’t hurt you too much with the cliffhanger. (also thanks to all second time readers for not spoiling the endgame ship it really means a lot to me uwu)
> 
> stay safe, and stay wonderful, loves!!!
> 
> ~ percy


	15. the palace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> jack’s exhausted, davey’s paranoid, and katherine’s a princess.

The sun was setting behind them as they reached the palace. They looked a bit insane— two ragged, tired boys in scruffy clothes with a runaway palace horse with an equally as scruffy girl with newly shorn hair, proclaiming to be the lost princess. 

Jack was convinced they were going to throw them in the dungeon immediately for treason, but one of the guards stopped the younger one. He was an older, slightly grizzled man, looking at least in his mid-forties. He looked closer at Katherine, like he was searching for something. “You have her eyes.” He said, after a moment of slightly uncomfortable silence. 

And that was how Davey and Jack found themselves standing in a palace drawing room, awkward as hell. 

“It ain’t right to only have one couch in this whole room.” 

“Mhm.” 

“Like, who decided that? ‘Oh, yeah, let’s make this big room. And we’s only gonna put one couch in it, and a couple a pillars. Sounds genius.’” 

“Yeah.” 

“And there’s a giant statue of a woman Frenchin’ a bird in the corner, too.” 

“Uh-huh.” 

Jack turned to Davey, who was sitting on the single chaise lounge in the middle of the opposite wall. He had his chin resting on his hand, staring at one of the tiles with oddly focused eyes. “No there ain’t.” Jack snapped his fingers, and Davey’s head jerked up, almost like he was waking up, meeting Jack’s eyes. “Dave, you okay?” 

Davey gave a small smile, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “‘Course I’m okay. Just worried ‘bout Kath.” 

Jack dropped onto the couch next to him. “So am I, but I’s also worried about you.” He gently knocked their shoulders together. “Youse been…” He hesitated. “Jumpy.” Jack reached out, almost uncharacteristically scared, before he took Davey’s hand from where it was clutching the edge of the couch. 

“I’m not jumpy.” Davey protested, but Jack gave him a look that basically said, ‘shut up.’ “I’m just— it’s been a long day.” He dropped his head to Jack’s shoulder, like if he got himself close enough, he could shut out the world. “I broke a known thief out of jail, rode a horse off a fucking roof, rescued one of my best friends, watched another one die, tripped a man and made him fall out a window, and had my first kiss.” 

“Well, I can think of one thing that’s good about all of this.” Jack said, a small grin on his face, looking down at Davey, who peeked up, hair rumpled a bit. 

“What’s that?” 

“You ain’t scared to curse.” 

Davey looked at him for a moment, before a smile twitched at his lips, and he laughed a bit. It was more of a snort, and he pressed his face into Jack’s shoulder. Before either of them really knew what was going on, or what they were laughing at, they were holding onto each other’s hands, almost falling over each other laughing. 

The door pushed open, revealing a guard there. Davey moved from the way he was almost halfway on Jack’s lap, dropping his hands to his lap. His cheeks were about as red as a tomato, whereas Jack just looked smug, other than a light pink blush. “The king and queen will receive you now.” The guard gave Davey a significant look, and turned to lead them down the hallway. 

~~~

“Lovely, uh, palace youse got here.” Jack said, before he could stop himself. The silence in the throne room was too much. He could sense the analyzing glances over him and Davey, taking in their smudged faces, scruffy clothes and bags under their eyes. Katherine stood to the right of the queen, and seeing them next to each other was like seeing two peas in a pod. If the queen had a torn dress, choppy auburn hair, and was smudged with dirt, that is. 

“Guard Jacobs.” 

Davey stepped forwards immediately, standing at attention and saluting the king, staring at a spot on the wall. “Your Majesty.” He said, his voice trembling with fear. Jack wanted to step forwards, take his clenched fist in his hand and lace their fingers together, but he figured that was not courtroom etiquette. 

“You were charged with abandoning your post, attacking your head guard, harboring a known fugitive, and running from the law.” The king’s voice was cold. 

“But, Your Majesty, he saved the princess! And he gots a family, you can’t—“ Jack couldn’t help but burst out, cut off by the king. Everyone’s eyes swiveled to him. 

“Silence.” He didn’t yell, he didn’t scream. He just sounded… tired. “And you, Jack Kelly, are a known fugitive, charged with thievery, breaking and entering, and hitchhiking.” 

“Ya couldn’t say that one first? That was a lousy ending.” 

The queen’s lips twitched with amusement, but she schooled her expression quickly, trying to look regal, although her eyes sparkled with amusement. 

“Let me finish.” The king held up his hand. “However. My… daughter here, she speaks highly of your bravery and fortitude.” 

Jack sidled up to Davey, whispering out of the corner of his mouth. “What’s fortitude mean?” 

Davey’s lips twitched a bit at the corners. “Fancy word for bravery. He’s basically saying the same thing.” 

“Which is why I am issuing a formal pardon, if you promise to remain in the city so that we can keep an eye on you.” 

Jack’s head snapped to the king, his mouth falling open. “Fo’ sure?” He said, eyes wide. 

“For sure. Katherine says that a certain head guard can be enlisted to your service.” The king said, squaring his shoulders. “And that he would be more than willing to take up the job.” 

Jack’s face blanched, as if the king had just told him they were going to go through with the hanging. “Your Highness, if it ain’t outta line to ask, please don’t make Snyder watch me. I think I’d rather hang.” 

Davey made a noise of protest, but the king only laughed, a low rumble from the pit of his stomach. “No, no, Kelly. You misunderstand me. I was speaking of our new head guard.” 

There was silence for a moment, before the queen cleared her throat, putting a hand on her husband’s arm. “Dear, you’ve forgotten to tell them.” 

The king looked at her blankly for a moment, before realization dawned. “Ah. Yes.” He turned back to Davey. “Our previous head guard was found to be in correspondence with certain brother thieves, having told them how to find their way to the throne room. He’s been promptly dismissed. Which leaves an opening.” 

Davey stared at him, mouth open in surprise. “Are you—“

“Guard Jacobs, will you accept the position as head of the royal guard, and caretaker of the pardoned thief known as Jack Kelly?” The queen said, before Davey’s sentence could finish. 

Davey straightened, like he’d just been given the best news of his life. “Yes, Your Majesty.” 

Katherine gave a happy yell, before tackling Davey in a hug, making him stumble back. Davey couldn’t help but laugh, hugging her back. After a glance at the slightly amused royal family, Jack joined the hug, wrapping his arms around both of them. 

And, for the first time in years, wrapped in a hug with his two favourite people, Jack Kelly felt like he’d finally found a home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> last real chapter!! thank you guys so much for staying along for the ride, i really appreciate it. one last epilogue chapter, and then its done for the second time. 
> 
> anyways basically just,, i love all of you a lot but i’ll save the sap for the next chapter notes.
> 
> stay safe, and stay wonderful, loves!!
> 
> ~percy


	16. home [ epilogue ]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> jack and davey are in love, and katherine wants some closure.

The sunlight filtered through Davey’s bedroom window, his arm tossed over Jack’s waist and face pressed into the shorter boy’s hair. It was peaceful in their little room, which was situated close to the palace. They weren’t technically allowed to live in the many towers, and Jack expressed distaste for spending any more time at the palace than he had to. So they’d gotten a small house nearby, funded in part by Katherine. She wouldn’t take no for an answer. 

They’d decorated the small house with their various knick knacks— Jack’s charcoal pictures and paintings, Davey’s various papers of royal documents and books, and even a few of Katherine’s articles, all sprawled on the table and chairs and pinned on the walls. A shoe that probably belonged to Specs had found its way under a chair, and Les’ hat had been hung off a chair. Their house had slowly become a hub for visiting friends, and this was one of the few days where they weren’t interrupted and woken by a screaming horde of young men. 

“Go back to sleep.” Jack mumbled when he felt Davey shifting to sit up, grasping at his sleeve. “Ya don’t gotta work today, right?” His accent was even thicker when he was tired, but Davey spoke fluent tired Jack. “It’s the princess day.” 

“Yes, Francis, it’s the anniversary of us bringing Kath home.” Davey said softly, rolling his eyes a bit. How could Jack be so smart yet so dumb at the same time? It was honestly endearing. Frustrating, of course, but endearing. “Hard to believe it was two years ago.” 

Two years ago, they’d been enemies. Two years ago, they’d been taken captive by a girl with magic hair, shared a heart to heart with ruffians and thugs, and accidentally rescued the missing princess. And they’d found each other. 

Davey mulled over everything that had changed as he ran his fingers through Jack’s hair— it was getting long, he was almost tempted to cut it, but he loved stroking it. 

Spot had gone on to play piano for some of the most famous people in the country— who knew that such short fingers would play so well? He’d made Jack cry, which, to be entirely fair, wasn’t all that difficult to do. 

Race managed to find love. Or, at least, he’d realized that he’d had exactly what he wanted the whole time, which was a classic Race. He was pretty much Spot’s biggest fan, going to as many of his performances as he possibly could without getting kicked out. 

A few of them had started a small theater for kids— a little puppet show, some baked goods, and even one of the guys took up miming. It was a surprisingly booming business, Davey thought. Crutchie had been their manager for a while, keeping them from going too extravagant, and making sure their jokes were more child friendly than they had originally planned. 

“Is Kath comin’ over?” Jack mumbled, face pressed to Davey’s shoulder. He lazily kissed his collarbone, which made Davey’s cheeks go red. 

“‘Course she is.” Davey said gently, trying to keep his cool. “Just the three of us, okay? All day. She should be here any moment.”

Jack groaned, dramatic as always, before untangling their limbs, rubbing at his eyes. “Sarah not coming?” He asked as he stumbled around their room, trying to find clothes to wear. “They ain’t left each others’ side in ages.” 

Davey had been knighted last year, which meant that, by association, his family was at least minor royalty. And with that came a closer friendship between Katherine and Sarah, the two becoming inseparable. Headstrong, stubborn, smart and witty, the two kept pace with each other, and they meshed so well together it was almost scary. “Kath says she wants to spend her day with her boys. No Sarah this time.” If Davey didn’t know better, he’d say that Jack was in love with his twin. 

He slipped out of bed, getting dressed, before helping Jack with the last few buttons of his shirt, smoothing out his collar. “Since when are we her boys? I ain’t no one’s boy.” Jack said huffily, making Davey laugh a bit. 

“Sometimes. And sometimes you’re my boy. Sometimes you’re Kath’s boy. Sometimes you’re Crutchie’s, or Race’s, or even sometimes Spot’s.” Jack wrinkled his nose, and Davey laughed again. “My point is, yeah, we’re Katherine’s boys. At least for today.” 

It took less than an hour for Katherine to arrive. She’d forgone the crown and fancy dresses of the palace, as she so often did, wearing a long, colourful skirt she’d sewn herself and a nice shirt. By that time, Jack was as energetic and chipper as always, and despite not being a teenager anymore, he still acted like one, which eased the slightly awkward atmosphere. 

Then she dropped the bombshell. “I wanna go back.” 

Davey almost dropped the glass he was holding. “You want to what?” He asked, with an air of incredulity. “You mean, back…” He gestured vaguely towards the direction of the forest. 

“Did they soften your brains at the palace? We ain’t going back there.” Jack said with a sort of venom. They had enough to deal with from those days. Hell, Jack had almost died there. 

“I want to go back, and I’m going, whether you go with me or not.” 

And that was how Jack and Davey found themselves pulling up their horses outside the tower hidden back in the woods. 

It was looking a little worse for wear. It didn’t seem as bright and youthful as it once was, as if it grew in the past two years, and not exactly in a flattering way. The paint was peeling, the window was open, and it gave off an air of menace. Katherine hated it, but she hefted the rope around her shoulder. She’d kept in practice, with ropes and things, anything that was handy. So, with concentration, she swung the rope, easily looping the end around the hook above the window on her second try. 

“Ready to climb?” Asked Katherine, some of her stubborn fire making itself known. She tugged the rope again, before climbing up the side, using the rope to brace herself. Davey and Jack glanced at each other. 

Then, with a sigh of resignation, Jack started climbing up, one foot in front of the other, easy. 

Davey gave a small smile. “What the heck are you doing?” He said, as if remembering a distant memory. Jack glanced back at him, a grin spreading across his face. 

“Heck? Use a real curse, pretty boy. Say fuck like the rest o’ us.” Jack teased, turning back up to the tower window, and Katherine, who was already halfway up. She was, quite honestly, rather insane. “Funny, that was almost exactly two years ago. Time wise, at least.” 

Finally, they were too tired to speak, before Jack hauled himself into the room. “If ya hit me over the head, Kath, please go for a different spot than usual, it stings like a motherfucker.”

But Katherine just stood there, staring at the carnage. She hadn’t been back since that day. The floor was coated in a fine layer of dust. Thank god she’d started wearing shoes, otherwise her foot would have been sliced open by the glass still shattered across the floor and added fresh blood to the dried, sticky mass over by the wall. Davey pulled himself up, climbing through the window. Odd, how he’d barely been there for about four hours all at once and it still made him feel like he wasn’t supposed to be there.

“It’s so… different.” Katherine seemed to be in a trance, walking over the scattered glass and over to the counter, her tiny oven, the small case of papers in the corner, all covered with a layer of dust. She trailed her fingers over it, the gray clinging to her fingers. She brushed her hands off. “It’s strange.” Her voice was soft for once, not cocky or confident. She just sounded… emotional. “I never expected this to happen. I lived here for eighteen years, and now everything’s… different.” 

“Well, sometimes, different isn’t bad.” Davey spoke up, walking over to her, more carefully avoiding the shards of glass. “It’s just new. And new takes a little getting used to.” 

New was waking up next to a handsome boy and being able to look at his face without worrying about being killed for feeling for him. New was being able to provide for his family with ease. New was knowing that Les and Sarah had a safe home for as long as they lived. New was feeling like he had a purpose in life. New was being able to trust someone with his life, someone who could hold his hand and help him through everything, people he could support and be supported by. New was sitting with his feet dangling from the windowsill of the tower, looking out over the sun shining on the trees stretching all the way back to the palace, dappling the leaves, with Katherine’s head on his shoulder and Jack’s arm wrapped around his waist.

New was feeling like he was home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here we are, at the end. (again). thank you so much for all the people who have already read this story that returned, and all the newcomers who read it for the first time ever. i love those of you that left comments and kudos, and those of you who didn’t. thank you so much for your support of this story!!! 
> 
> stay safe, and stay wonderful, loves!!
> 
> ~ percy

**Author's Note:**

> what i said in the beginning notes was a lie fuck the mouse i just like this movie
> 
> ANYWAYS
> 
> if you have an issue with my fic, please come to me before reporting my fic. i’d rather have a civil discussion with you about what i can and should change than get something i spent months writing deleted. i understand that copyright is an important issue, and that many people don’t appreciate it as much as they should, which is why i’d rather have you come to me than reporting this story. 
> 
> thank you for reading!! leave comments, i thrive on them, and hope you newcomers (and the older readers) enjoy this immensely. 
> 
> (also follow me on tumblr @rebuke-me)
> 
> stay safe, and stay wonderful, loves!!
> 
> ~percy


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